Cliché
by MisterPelican
Summary: Living without a father, and having her mother being sick when all the time, Max tries to make her life as plain as possible when all of the sudden love, drama, and excitement come crashing her way. We'll she be able to handle these new experiences...?
1. Makeover

Hi, my name is Max, its short for Mackenzie. I don't like either but I rather be called Max. Mackenzie means "Son of a leader" and I'm a girl… Anyway, please enjoy this story!

It was a normal, muggy day in Eversville. I opened my eyes slowly to the sun beaming through the worn down holes on the drapes. I stretched like I wasn't going to get up, but sleep tricked me. For it was Monday.

I suddenly sprung out of bed and grabbed my uniform. I was so prompt to get dressed that I tripped a few times. I ran to the kitchen and grabbed a piece of bread out of the toaster, put some jelly on it and left for school.

I'm one of the few kids who doesn't take the bus to school. I'm the only kid who cares enough to make it in time. Therefore, I run every morning. I thought I had the energy, but sleep had tricked me a second time. I could barely even look where I was going.

I was so drowsy, and to make it worse I was going down hill. I was running so fast my eyes were developing tears. Just when I thought this terrible speed was never going to end, it stopped.

I had tripped on a rock. "How cliché!" I thought to myself as I felt my body falling. It felt nice, too nice. It seemed like falling went on longer than the running did. It felt like a dream.

Little did I know, it was. I woke up in the arms of a stranger. A cute stranger.

Again, I thought this was a very strong déjà vu. "Am I in a freaking book or something?" I said, aloud without noticing. I rolled off of the gentle arms that were carrying me. "W-what time is it?" I said in harsh tone. "You know what, never mind, don't answer that question. See Ya!"

I ran off without even asking his name. "How rude of me! I could have at least said thank you! If it weren't for him I probably would've been road kill!"

I got to class as fast as I could. Unfortunately, it was already second period. Of course, I didn't figure it out until I burst into the room breathing heavily. "Tsk tsk. Mackenzie, you're interrupting our class for what reason?" Mr. Seff said solemnly.

"I…Got…Here… Late… Sorry…Hah…" I said, trying to catch my breath.

Mr. Seff frowned and pointed to a seat in the back of the room. I took one last deep breath, walked over, and sat down. "That jerk stranger, jerk rock, jerk teacher, UGH!

After class, I tried to leave the room but Mr. Seff held me back. I sighed and turned around. "Mackenzie, this is the first time I a long time that you've been tardy, and last time you had a good reason. What's wrong?"

I looked down. Then looked back up with a fake smile. "Nothing's wrong, sorry for being tardy!"

I then ran out the door. I put my head inside my locker. "Max, what's wrong? You usually don't put your head in your locker, is it stuck? Here, I'll help you!"

Jewel, my best friend, started tugging on my hair. "J-Jewel! I'm glad you want to help but I'm fine!"

I pulled my head out from my locker and looked at her. "Hmmm… I know what's wrong! You're having a bad hair day! Here, come with me!"

Before I could inform her that I was fine, she dragged me into the girl's bathroom. She made me stand straight then put her right hand on her left elbow and her left hand on her chin. "What? Is there something on my face?"

Jewel smiled, opened the bag that she was carrying, and took out a bobby-pin, a few hair ties, and scissors. I never gave a brief discription of me but I have long brown hair, brown eyes, not too skinny, nor fat, not that flat-chested (but I never brag, just most main characters always have a flat chest… I mean, I'm not in a book!)and tall for my age. Oh and I'm in 8th grade

Jewel started snipping the hair covering my face. "Please, if your going to make bangs, don't make them above the eyes" Jewel laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna embarrass you"

She stopped snipping when the bangs hit the middle of my eyes. She then got out a comb and pushed a big bunch of hair to side, along with the bangs.

"Hey! I liked it going to that side!" I said, worried about my new appearance.

Jewel ignored me. She put my hair up in a side ponytail just below my right ear, and then she put a few bobby-pins under it to hold shape. "Thanks… I guess I needed a makeover" I said, smiling into the mirror.

Jewel then spun me around and started putting makeup on me. I had my eyes closed for about 5 minutes. Right before her last stroke of something on my left eye, the school bell rang.

It rings twice, one 5 minutes before class and the other means if you're not in class by the time it rings, you're late.

We got to class in time, and everyone in the room was looking at me. I heard a few of the murmurs in the room. "Is she wearing makeup? She should wear it more often" or "Wow…. Was she always that pretty?"

I blushed and sat down. A short time after that the teacher came in. Her name was Ms. Feela but she wanted us to call her Sandra. I think she was the youngest teacher at the time.

"Max, why don't you pass out the social studies books" She said in a giddy tone.

I got up and picked up all of them at once. One boy who never talked to me got up and took half of them from my arms. "Need help?"

I felt flustered. "Y-yea… Thanks"

When I got to Sandra her face showed awe. "Well, don't you look darling today" I smiled. "Yea, Jewel was kind enough to fix me up a little.

I then looked at Jewel and she was giving my a thumbs up. I sighed and sat back down. The rest of the day was normal. After school Jewel was asking me if I wanted to go to her house for an hour or so.

"Sorry Jewel, I can't, I didn't finish the worksheet for the test on history tomorrow so I wanna go home and study"

Jewel probably had something to say but she had to get on the bus before it took off. We said our fake, sad farewells like we always do and I got going.

On my way home I found the rock that I tripped on. I picked it up. "UGH!" I through it as far as I could with my eyes closed. "Ouch"

I opened my eyes to the same boy whom was carrying me this morning. "Oh my gosh did I hit you? I'm so sorry, did it leave a mark? Ga! I'm so stupid!"

He starting laughing, and wouldn't stop. "Wha-whats so funny?"

He wiped his eyes like there were tears but there wasn't.

"I was just joking. Your throws are probably so off, you could hit me if I was right next to you!"

I got frustrated, didn't want to deal with him, so I walked off. He seemed surprised at my actions. He yanked my jacket.

"I didn't mean it like that, sorry"

"Didn't mean it like that? What other way could you mean other than insulting? Now let go of me!"

I smacked his hand and walked off. As soon as I got home I started studying.

His words kept repeating themselves in my head. I blushed remembering his face when he said sorry. "Ugh… How am I ever gonna get this done!"


	2. Notes

You could say the next morning was pretty good, considering I woke up about half an hour early. I slumped out of bed and gave a huge sigh that frightened my cat, Mizu. I looked at her through my drowsy eyes.

"Good mornin'!" I yawned with my arms stretching furiously above my head. Of course, I didn't wait for a reply. I took my time getting dressed since yesterday I missed the bliss in the usual, calm mornings I have before I race myself to school.

"Honey… Even if you're up early doesn't mean you can slack off, you still have school y'know!" said my mother in the middle of my day dream.

_Yea yea I know, hurry up. _I didn't bother looking for make-up and imitating Jewel's foolish acts from the other day. As I sauntered downstairs I could tell my mom wasn't having a good morning.

"Need help with anything before I take off?" I said, trying to be considerate, and to keep off of her bad side.

She gave me a stern look. "You think I can't handle the morning myself? As if I'm not capable? Just… grab your stuff and go to school, I don't wanna deal with you this morning"

_Deal with ME? You're the one being the sour puss here! _

I was ushered out of the house by my mom's thoughts and her horrid aura. I started with a speed walk, thinking my mom was watching, then when I was out of sight from the house, I gently took my time walking.

Right about then was the time I usually wake up, and that thought made me feel active. I looked around me and noticed how beautiful the morning was….It felt like spring was 'just around the corner'.

I suddenly saw a car pulling out from a driveway to a house that was empty for quite some time. _Must be new neighbors. _ I squinted my eyes and looked to see if there were any children in the backseat. If there was going to be a new kid, I wanted to know first.

To my surprise, it was "him". _The same boy who ruined my night of peaceful homework doing. The same boy who teased and insulted me. The same boy…. That every other girl in my class would like….Greeaaattt_….

The only girl I didn't want to like him was Jewel, and that wasn't much of a prayer 'cause these days Jewel isn't in to anybody. I shook the thought out of my mind, and ran. There went another attempt for a good, long walk. Again, that stupid boy made me daydream about stupid stuff!

I still got to class on time, but there were people there before me… Mostly girls though. _I wonder what could've happened…Ugh _

All of them were huddled around a desk. I didn't want much to do with the situation so I walked off and ignored them. Thankfully, Jewel caught me and drug me into the bathroom.

Styling my hair and doing my make-up at Jewel's pace was just enough time to miss the 'break time' we get before class actually starts.

"There". You could here a mixture of relief and anxiousness in her voice. The voice that fits perfectly with her baby-face features and her long, luxurious, snow-like hair that curled vaguely at the bottoms.

Dang, I was always jealous of Jewel. But when I though about it. I was really no match for her perfect figure. We nonchalantly walked into class and giggled at each other when we sat down.

I then looked at , and he looked back at me with a warm smile that showed the wrinkled dimples at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes. It was as if he was happy that I was smiling and not faking it. I couldn't help it, I gave him a blushing smile like he was another boy in the class that I had a small crush on.

"Alright class, as you can see, there is a new student attending this school. His name is Cody Jenkins. Please give him a warm welcome today"

I could already see the competitive looks shooting like throwing stars throughout the room. Sadly, I got a couple. (Which normally, I wouldn't mind, but one of them was from Jewel)

I gave her my "Seriously?" look that usually influences her to gravitate towards my opinion. She then gave me a look like she was just kidding and laughed. I laughed with her too, but I couldn't believe her.

Back in elementary Jewel used to like all the weird ones. If she had a boyfriend, there just had to be something wrong with him, and I thought that was ridiculous saying that Jewel deserved the best.

The rest of first period I tried my best to avoid Cody, and that worked, until we got to 2nd period. We met each other at the doorway. He looked a little sad to see me, which I took in a bad way. I flipped my hair his direction in a "Hmph!" way.

All in the middle of that, I heard him weakly mutter, "Wait!

I failed. I looked down and he caught me. I felt my heart beat raise a little. _Okay, this is getting weird, he's just standing there, how did I get in this situation? This isn't a book!_

His hand had a firm grip on mine. "I want to talk to you"

I looked at his puppy dog eyes, which were a gorgeous dark blue, down to his lips, which were very kissable, then to his figure, which made me want his protection, back to his hand, that _I_ was holding.

The more I looked the more I liked, and before I knew it, I was crossing my fingers into his like how a couple would hold hands. His side grin was proof that he knew I fell into his trap.

I got angry and jerked my hand from his. I stomped to my desk, sat down and got out two pieces of paper. One for the assignment and one for something else. I got out a pencil and started furiously scribbling.

_Cody, I don't know what your tactics are but please stop bothering me. Want someone to bug, check out all the girls who are googly eye-ing you from acrossed the room. Especially Jewel, the REALLY pretty one, y'know, like drop dead type, well, I think she took a liking to you…_

I then drew a mad little emoticon with his tongue sticking out. I was sitting two seats behind him. I threw the folded piece of paper at his head, then look down to write what Ms. Feela had written on the board.

About four or five minutes later I felt a tiny thunk on my head. I opened the little note just as I had folded mine.

_My tactics? What? Can't a boy just like someone? Haha and I thought your name was Mackenzie not Jewel. Hehe…So um…you know where I live, lets hang out after school. Not like a date or anything (Gross) I'll invite some guys and some girls, we'll just play games, get to know each other and what not. Whaddya think?_

I looked up after I was done reading it and he was grinning at me. I gave him a thumbs up. The rest of the day he was talking to other people and I was working hard to make sure I had no homework….. I had other plans for that evening….Yikes….


	3. New Couple

Jewel, Destiny, Levi, Anthony and I were waiting outside of Cody's house. Why? Because Cody's parents didn't even know about us visiting his house and he was telling them that we were just "studying".

He walked out of his front door about ten minutes later and gave us a "Come on" signal with his hand. I've only been in that house once before, and that was a long time ago, when two old people and their granddaughter, Amy used to baby sit me. The thought that the elders both died in that house sent chills down my spine.

I wondered if Cody knew about them, but figured I shouldn't ask. We all went upstairs, where Cody's room was. The colors of the walls were a deep crimson. Cody had us all in the room and closed the door behind him, sneaking a smile at me. Or was it Jewel, or maybe Destiny?

Destiny was a tall, little over skinny girl with dark brown with blonde highlights that were down to her shoulders. I would only say she's my friend if It was to a teacher. Otherwise, I hated her. Her personality was sassy, snuck up, snobby, wannabe attention freak! The thought made me snarl.

Levi was a short, dirty-dishwater blonde. Back in 6th grade, I used to be crazy about him, then I found out he was a major player. Kissing a different girl every day. I Did NOT want that in a relationship. Anthony was switched. Ever since 6th he's been head over heels for me.

Cody noticed I was in my own little world and decided to come up from behind me and whispered into my eye, "Your face is so cute when your dazed…Let me guess, thinking about me?"

I was flustered and hit him, which caught everyone else's attention. I didn't want to seem weird.

"Heh….So what games are we gonna play?" was all that seemed to squeak out of my watermelon chapped lips.

Cody gestured that we all sit down in a circle on his floor as he got a board and an empty glass out of his closet. He sat down to complete our sad little circle and smirked as if he had the brilliant idea to play this dumb game. Levi started rubbing his hands together.

"All right, spin the bottle, let's do this!"

Cody rearranged us to where if it landed on someone, it was most likely going to be a girl and boy. Destiny tried to give her "cute" smile at Cody.

"So what If it lands on girl with girl?"

"It will only be more interesting" Cody smoothly said like he was waiting for that question.

He looked at me then the bottle, then at me, then raised his eyeballs, as I rolled mine. I lightly touched the bottle, and then yanked it one way. We watched it spin with anticipation as it grew slower. Finally, it came to a stop, facing with its top towards Levi, and bottom Jewel. She looked at Cody with a face like she was sorry it didn't land on him and her.

_Like he cared! Don't think too highly of yourself! That's my job! Now go kiss your soon to be boyfriend!_

That thought lingered in my head for quite some time. Was I actually being jealous? I could imagine the look on my face. Worry. I think Cody took it the wrong way though…Of course.

"What's that? Are you sad that Jewel's gonna kiss Levi? You can take Jewel's part if you want, she's obviously too 'Drop dead' for him anyway"

_Are you purposely trying to piss me off? _I felt like getting up and charging out of his room but that would only be falling deeper into his hole. I looked at his face and he was serious, I think. Is he…..Jealous? Of Jewel?

I wanted to help him; they were kind of a cute couple anyway. "Hey, let's just forget about this one m'kay? Next one! Shall I spin the bottle again? …No response, okay, let's do this!"

Jewel giggled because she knew what I was doing, and her face showed it. It also showed thanks in a way. I felt like a good friend. I put my hand on the bottle again, acted like I was going to jerk it, then pretended to slip. It spun in about 3 circles. I almost knew it was going to land on them…Almost…

It landed on me instead. Though, at first I thought it was Cody I had to kiss. Wrong again! It was Anthony. I could almost feel his heartbeat racing up to an attack.

"Anthony, I know how you feel, let's stop this and play another game. How about truth or dare?"

What was Cody talking about? Anthony obviously wanted to kiss me, and I didn't care. First kiss doesn't matter. Just the first of many, and we all agreed it was going to stay within the walls of this room. I ignored him and leaned closer to Anthony.

"Ready?" I was sure he could smell the last piece of 5 gum that was in my mouth. We got closer and closer…Dead silence all around us….as we begun to close our eyes. Cody was trembling, and I could tell.

"GUYS! I think someone is coming. We should stop"

Right before Cody was about to push me away, Anthony pulled me in for the finish. His lips, Oh his sweet, soft lips that were holding on to mine. Is this really what a kiss felt like? Pure blissfulness? Wow. His hands that were resting on my silk-like cheeks moved their way down to my back and pulled my body closer. Perfect fit.

Jewel pulled me back. "Gettin' carried away there Max?"

I blushed. I was getting carried away. I looked up at Anthony, and he looked back at me. His face was a light pink, his dark brown eyes had a look of satisfaction. I giggled at the thought of what he might've been thinking. Then suddenly, Cody got up, and walked to the door.

"You guys can leave now, except Jewel…You stay"

I felt as if something bad was going to happen… But really, I didn't care much about Cody at that time. I had Anthony help me up then I left his room, shuffled down his stairs, and left that house never to return again, hopefully. I was just about to turn towards my house and start walking, when Anthony grabbed my arm, spun me around, and planted another one on my cheek.

"Be careful" was what he whispered into my ever so gently before grabbing his bike that he rode here with and taking off.

I walked slowly walked home, dazed about what had happened that day. When I got to my door steps, my mom opened the door and put her hands on her hips.

"Where have _you_ been?"

I could feel my smile fade into a depressed line. "I went to a friend's house after school to study"

She stepped to the side and pointed up stairs. I didn't say anything and went up to my room. Once I got there I fell apart onto my bed. _Anthony kissed me…Twice! Should I ask him out, or not? Eeeeep! I can't wait to see him tomorrow!._

It took some time to fall asleep that night, but somewhere along the line of fantasizing about Anthony and I passed out successfully. When I woke up the next morning it was still dark outside. I jumped out of bed and grabbed my uniform. As I put on I pulled the skirt extra high and left the first two buttons on the dress coat un-done. I slipped on black hosiery that went up to my knees, put my shoes on and left.

My mom was still asleep when I left the house, so I put a note on the fridge saying "I love you" just in case. I didn't even bother speed walking the least bit. Finally, a morning where I can take my time, until… I saw Cody in front of his door putting his shoes on. I just looked down and acted as if I didn't see him.

"Hey! Wanna walk together?"

_Oh DARN! Why why why ME? _I couldn't say no, 'cause I was kind of getting lonely, and I could totally brag about Anthony to him.

"S…Sure, why not"

He ran up beside me after he finished tying his shoes. "Soooo, What's up?"

I looked at him and smirked. "Nothin'. Hey, um what happened with you and Jewel yesterday after Me, Anthony and the others left?"

He out smirked my smirk with a more stupid smirk. "Eh, not much…Just that… We're dating now…"

_Huh? Him, Jewel. HUH?_

"Well, that's…cool, I guess. Don't you think you're a step down for Jewel? Only considering your IQ level though"

I gave him a playful push, and he returned a harder one. We got to school when the sun was barely above the mountains. There were only too people there before us, excluding all the teachers. Zack, the only boy who goes by the rules in school, and Jewel.

The teachers weren't in the room yet. Cody ran up to Jewel, whispered something in her ear (I couldn't hear) and kissed her while groping her butt. Yuck. They made such a good couple it was revolting. I just tried to ignore them for the time being.

I heard the door open again and thought it was just a teacher so I didn't turn to look. I felt someone's hands wrap around my front. Surely, it was Anthony.

"So are we goin' out?" He said into my neck.

I flinched at the tingle. "Yes, Yes we are, now give me a kiss" I said it so naturally it made me feel cool. I hoped that Cody was looking, but when I snuck a peek, he was smooching away with little Miss princess. Anthony's kisses made the whole morning A LOT better. His hands were holding my face ever so gently that it felt like a rough cloud was surrounding me. And his lips... They tasted like spearmint.

His right hand was removed from my face. I felt it make its way towards something you don't usually touch on a girl unless you're going out. I slowly removed his hand from my chest.

"Not here. I don't want to get carried away like I almost did at the group meeting at Cody's yesterday."

He blushed extremely. It was cute. I leaned in to kiss his cheek before walked in.

"Okay students, pop quiz!"

I raise my hand. "Can I go to the bathroom first?" Mr. Seff nodded and I got up and left the room.

When I opened the door to the Girl's bathroom, I saw something that surprised me… A lot.


	4. Misunderstood

It was Jewel. My sweet, innocent Jewel, who hadn't seemed so innocent anymore. Cody was holding both her hands over her head with his right hand. They were kissing passionately and Cody's hand was….exploring, until Jewel noticed me.

"I see you're busy…But um, this is the _Girl's _bathroom and um there is a _guy _in here"

I could've just walked out of there but I have had enough of Cody violating my best friend. I walked up, grabbed him by the hair that usually covers one of his eyes, and yanked him off of Jewel. I drug him out of the bathroom by his legs. I looked back at Jewel.

"After 1st period, we need to talk"

I let Cody rise to his feet before I grabbed his arm and started walking towards class. He was holding back, so I turned around and said, "Let's go." He gave me the same look as the first day we met.

"Thanks…I…I would trade her over for you any day, like, just having you holding my arm like this, makes my heart beat faster, but knowing you're just too good for me, and Jewel puts it out, too easily, I chose her. Y'know, as a teenage boy, I have needs…one of them is you…"

Out of instinct, I slapped him. "Jewel 'puts it out'? Like hell she does! Maybe she actually liked you enough to let you dirty her delicate hands, but NO, a _DUMBASS _like you can't even see that. You better treat her like she's a friggin' queen, buddy. If you don't I'll hurt you. If you EVER talk bad about her again, so help me, I will scar you for life!"

I looked up, Jewel was standing in front of the bathroom's door, and the teacher, Mr. Seff was in front of the classroom's door, staring at us. Some kids were huddled up behind him watching us.

"Mackenzie….I don't know what's up with you but why don't you go talk to the principal."

I let go of Cody's arm and sauntered down the hall. Once I got to the principal's office, I felt like turning around and making a run for it, she would be surprised to see me….I'm usually a good student. I opened her door and walked in.

"Hello Mrs. Moyer, I got in trouble and I was sent here to talk to you about, unless you're busy. Ah, but I'm not trying to find an excuse…Sorry"

"Sit down. Tell me what happened"

"Well, everything was going normal, the class was about to start a pop quiz, and I had to go to the bathroom, but as I walked in…..Jewel was being violated by one of the boys in the class, and I drug him out of there and started calling him names and threatening him, because I was on Jewel's side completely, and all in the middle of the Mr. Seff sent me to you, any questions?"

"Mackenzie, could you please tell me which boy was doing so to Jewel?"

I hated Cody, but for some reason, I felt sorry for him and wanted to keep his secret. _No, I have to be the big girl here…URGH!_

"Cody, it was Cody Jenkins"

Mrs. Moyer pushed the intercom button for Mr. Seff's classroom. "Mr. Seff, could you send down Cody for me, thanks"

About two minutes after that, Cody opened the door. He sat down in the chair next to mine.

Mrs. Moyer scooted forward. "Cody, by what Mackenzie has said here, you were found violating a student, Jewel Roby to be precise, in the Lady's bathroom. Is that true?"

"No."

_Huh….? Um, now he's making ME the liar? Please."_

"Since I'm new here, and I was in a hurry to go to the bathroom earlier, I ran into the Girl's one without thinking, and Jewel was in there already, still not noticing my surroundings, I ran into her. We both fell to the ground, me on top. I struggled to get up while taking her up with me, but he moved the other way, therefore, I fell again and collided lips with her. Than Kenzie took it the wrong way and thought I was "violating" Jewel. "

Mrs. Moyer seemed to believe this idiotic lie, because she gave me a death stare, while Cody kept on lying.

"That made me sad because, if anyone, I'd want to do stuff with her, but never on school grounds, since it's against the rules, I then decided to confess my feelings, hoping she would believe, but instead she slapped me, and talked to me in a foul language, and here she is now, trying to lie to you, Mrs. Moyer. Anything else?"

_AAAAGGHHH Don't believe this stupid kid! I'm telling the truth!_

Mrs. Moyer looked at me again. "Now have you come to an understanding, Mackenzie?"

I looked at Cody and could feel the smile under his straight gorgeous lips piercing into my chest like daggers. Then, I looked down, letting my bangs cover my face. "Yes ma'am, sorry to have told a lie to mislead you at first. What's my punishment?"

"Detention, ah, but not now, after school. You can help the janitor cleanup; right now you can go back to class and get an F for your pop quiz."

"Yes ma'am"

I got out of my chair and walked out of the room. A few seconds later Cody was strolling behind me.

"Hey, why'd you back my story up?"

"Because, I don't really care, as long as Jewel notices how much of a bad choice you are and breaks up with you"

"Jesus Christ Kenzie, tell me the truth, nobody really cares about a friend that much."

"Okay, what's really bugging me? I'm jealous of Jewel, no wait, I _was_ jealous of Jewel, but now I have Anthony. See, I thought we could have something, but now, Jewel can have you, spoil you with her beauty, and break your heart just like all of her previous boyfriends, and I don't care."

"Break my heart? I don't care if we break up, actually, having Jewel is kind of boring, she's so plain, just another girl in my book, but you-"

"Stop right there. I thought I told you not to talk down about Jewel anymore."

He grabbed my arm and turned me towards him.

"But that's all I can do when I comparing her to you."

He then surprised me with a kiss. _Wait….A kiss? Oh my god! _ It wasn't just the peck type of kiss either. It was the type that was so 'into it' you couldn't help bus wrap your arms around them and give in. This made Anthony's kisses just so….normal! My heart sunk…_Have I fallen in love? No no, it's just a kiss, that's all, Cody's probably just hoping I will fall in love with him so he can embarrass me._

I pushed him away and wiped the saliva off of my mouth that was panting softly. His cheeks were flushed, and so were mine.

"Don't you EVER, do that again." Was what I was planning to say, but was beat to it by the voice of my best friend.

"Oh and Max, about that talk, I'm gonna have to skip, oh, and the next time you wanna talk to me, I'll skip, y'know what, heck, just DON'T TALK TO ME EVER AGAIN, I thought I could trust you….And here you are smooching with MY boyfriend behind my back!"

She ran away crying. Tragic. Only problem was…._ What. Me? Kissing HIM? No. No. NO NO NO! JEWEL COME BACK!_

I was about to run after her when Cody grabbed my shoulder. I smacked it away.

"Don't touch me!" I continued to find my…._Best friend? I wonder…._

I caught up with her and gently reached for her hand to comfort her and clear the misunderstanding. She backfired it with a backhand. See, where's the teacher when something happends to ME?

She took the friendship bracelet that I finger-knitted and gave her in third grade off of her hand, tore it in two, and threw it on the ground in front of me. _Why is everyone being so dramatic? This isn't a book people!_

I knelt down and picked it up…A few tears dropped on my knee and hand, following slightly hearable weeps and sniffles.

_I don't wanna lose my best friend 'cause of that jerk!_

Speak of the devil, Cody walked up and knelt down beside me. He began to put his hand around me.

"I said don't tou-"

"Sshhh…Cry all you want, I'm not gonna leave you"

I fell apart right in front of my enemy, how pathetic; I was even wrinkling his shirt by grasping it too much. I felt like I hugged him forever….At least I wanted to….Jewel told Anthony what she thought had happened, so he came out to see me, and what I was doing only gave the lie more truth.

Cody looked up at Anthony, I couldn't see his expression because my face was buried into Cody's warm chest while he held me protectively.

"You're late, dude"

Anthony must've noticed that my knees, shirt, and Cody's shirt were all tinted with my tears because he went silent.

"Why is she crying?"

"That's none of your business"

Cody got up while picking me up with him.

"Why don't you go in the girls bathroom and wipe your face off, I need to talk to Anthony"

I went in the bathroom, dried my face off with a tissue, and eavesdropped on their conversation. _ When does second period start anyway? _

Cody started. "Okay, first of all, where were you when all of this happened, flirting with other girls?"

"No! I'm not like you, who KISSES someone other than their GIRLFRIEND. Yea, I know you were the one who made the move, Kenzie wouldn't do that."

_What happened with "Everyone calls me Max"?_

"And what if she did? What if we had a secret going on between Jewel and you? What if, I'm more suited as her boyfriend?"

"DUDE! You already have a girlfriend! And she's probably still crying about what happened, and you don't have the guts to admit it wasn't Kenzie who did the kissing.

"Dude, you have one too, and _she's_ probably still crying about what happened, and _you _don't have the guts to admit that Levi paid you not to back out of kissing her at my house, _and _to win her heart by acting all considerate. I bet you don't even care about her do you…"

I walked out of the bathroom.

"Anthony, is that…True?"

"NO! But…Yes…But I DO have feelings for you!"

The bell rang. I gave him the "You done goofed" look and walked to class...What was going to happen now?


	5. Little Too Far

Ms. Feela was waiting patiently at the front of the room. I didn't bother to see what was written on the board… Instead I listened to the angelic words that left Sandra's (probably) soft lips…

_She must have it so easy…. The only thing she has to do is talk to kids around my age and up…. Not so hard…. I wonder if sh_e _has a boyfriend….. Wonder if he cares about her…. I wonder... if it's nice to have someone outside your family care for you passionately…_

After all those inquisitive thoughts frolicked around, the words that Cody whispered to me, were whispered again, and again inside my head.

"… Cry all you want, I'm not leaving you…"

I felt my eyes go damp…. I felt the tears develop…. I felt the guilt of losing a friend…. I started balling. Sandra heard me desperately trying to hold it back as if I had the hiccups.

"Mackenzie is there something wrong?"

Just then I heard everyone turn around and look in my direction. I just got out of my seat and walked out of the classroom with my notebook and the worksheet that was passed to all the students at the beginning of class.

"Wait, stop. Where are you going? We're in the middle of class. You can't just, go out and work in the hall."

"Then I'll go to the principal's office…. Seems like I'm in trouble anyway"

I then gave Jewel a quick look of despair to show her she was wrong, and took my leave. I was walking down the halls when I noticed if I was in the principal's office a second time today, it would be on my record. I had to make a decision… Either would make me a fool…. One for one day, and one for as long as this semester lasts.

I didn't have a mind to care, so I walked into the principal's office and asked if I could do my work there.

"Why, are you in trouble?"

"Do I have to be?"

"Well, just tell me what brought you here"

I began to explain to her that in the middle of class I just started crying and didn't want to be a distraction, so I left. She asked why I was crying and I responded with a lie about a dead pet.

…

I finished my work and began to head back to Ms. Feela's classroom. When I got there everything seemed to be fine so I walked into the room and put my assignment on her desk. She slid a sticky note in my direction that had "Have you calm down?" on it. I looked at her and nodded.

As I walked back to my seat, Jewel stopped me in the isle and handed me a folded piece of paper. I sat down and read what was written on the note. It said:

_Mackenzie, I don't know why you looked at me as if I did something wrong, 'cuz we both know I'm the only victim here. Oh and what was with the whole 'Boo- hoo' scene back there? You are obviously being overly-dramatic. I won't forgive you…. You're not capable of having any friends; therefore, I will have everyone against you… Prepare With hate, _

_Jewel_

I was actually taken-aback there for a second, but then the bell rung. I looked up to find Jewel talking to a huddled group of kids that looked like 90% of our class. Anthony included. I sighed, rolled my eyes, and left the room… It was now time for lunch. I didn't have an appetite, so instead of eating, I finished all the upcoming assignments for that day, handed them in, and went home.

Half way there I stopped where it was just a large field of green grass that went up to your ankles. I walked about 5 feet away from the road and sat down. The air was humid and a little heavy, but I liked that weather… It reminds me of when my dad and I would go hike up the canyons. He would build stuff with chopped down logs and I would decorate it with plucked flowers.

I laid back in a sit-up position and stared at the clouds. I spotted a few shapes that made me smile before I dozed off due to the sun beaming down on my eyes. I probably slept for quite a while before I felt this tingling sensation on my lips.

I woke up, thinking it was an insect and getting scared. Nope, no insect, just a guy who goes by the name of Cody… laying on top of me, with a crooked smile, and gleaming hair that was flowing in the wind rather gently.

"Y'know, you're cute when you sleep… I just couldn't hold myself back"

I gave him an irritated look and shoved him off of me.

"Why do you just do that without permission? I HATE kisses without feelings…"

He then put his arm around me.

"Who said it was without feelings"

He then kissed me again… And again… and again… After a few times he unlatched his lips for air, helping me get some too. Inhaled, and then exhaled with an "Aaahn" that sounds perverted.

"Oh, so you _liked _it, huh?"

His hands went behind my back, yet under my shirt, and unhooked something that usually only I unhook. They then made their way to the front of me. I tried to push him away but I was weak, and still half- asleep. When Cody's hands made there 'destination' I felt… Weird… In a good way.

My head threw back and I began moaning. I then felt his tongue slide up my neck. I suddenly came to my senses and jumped back.

"Wha…. Why… Do you keep teasing me? Kisses… They make me happy, but this…. This was too far…"

That good/weird feeling disappeared and was taken over by the feeling of violation. I hooked my bra back up and straightened my shirt out. I looked back up at Cody and his whole face was a deep red.

"I'm so sorry…. I literally couldn't hold myself back… As soon as you made that noise when we were kissing, I just got this feeling…. And… Kenzie, I'm sorry"

My hand flew across his face in a blur. "If you tell anyone about what just happened, I'l-"

"I know, I won't tell, just…. Why'd you hit me? I thought you liked it"

"YES, I did but that's not the point! You can't just, toy with my feelings like that!"

I ran straight home after that. Once I got there. My mom bluntly ran up to me and gave me a hug.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"Oh honey, Ms. Feela called and said she was worried about you, and that you're were crying your eyes out. I'm sorry baby girl; you can tell me what's wrong"

I couldn't possibly tell her what really happened.

"I miss dad…"

She had told me when I was younger not to mention him… of course that was a week after his death and we haven't brought him in a conversation in years now, so I'm sure this was okay.

"Is that all?"

"Well, I was just worried if you would die soon, considering your health…. And I don't want that to happen… You're the only one have…. And I'd be all alone."

Mom just gave me a gentle look and took my hand. She led us into the kitchen and asked me if I wanted anything to eat. I just shook my head and let go of her hand. I walked slowly up the stairs and stopped at the door of my room. I felt weak, and defeated.

I opened the door and sauntered onto my bed. I just laid on top of my sheets with a pillow over my head for hours. Before I knew it, it was already the next day.

"Honey! Get out of bed already!"

"Uh… Can I stay home today? I feel sick!"

She agreed to let me stay home, and left for her Thursday job. I had the house all myself…. Yippee? Just when I took off my pants and put a tank top on, the door from downstairs opened. I knew it wasn't mom 'because I heard her leave in the car but I didn't hear a vehicle this time.

_What if it's a burglar? Mom, you should've locked the door!_

The door to my bedroom didn't have a lock so I left. I was about halfway down the stairs with a baton in my hand when I saw Cody, noticed he was smiling, and noticed why he was smiling.

"Nice panties."

I threw the baton at him and ran back to my room. Moments later he opened the door. I gave him the 'Jerk' face and crossed my arms.

"Why are you here anyway, isn't it a school day?"

"Yea but I didn't see you walking to school this morning so I got worried and told my parents I was sick. Both of them already left for the day. Smart, right?"

"No."

"Well I'm not leaving…. So why don't you just forget about the bad stuff and have a nice day?"

He then started kissing me.

"This is gonna be a looong day, baby."


	6. Intoxicated

I started to panic by throwing my stuffed animals that were in grabbing distance at him.

"Get out of my house! I was serious about what I said yesterday and I'm sticking to my word!"

He looked at me, still smiling as if he just outsmarted me._ Well, aren't you gonna say anything? _

"…Well, I wanna hear the sounds you made yesterday, again"

We were both on my bed and he was crawling closer to me. I was trying to protect myself with a hello kitty plush. I was mumbling "Get away" over and over, louder and louder, until I was practically yelling at him.

"GO AWAY! You're a despicable person, you know that? Oh and speaking of how you know stuff, did I ever tell you how _YOUNG _I was? Thirteen. I am _THIRTEEN _and yet you do these disgusting things to me."

He began to say something with a soft voice but I interrupted him.

"Get out of this house. Don't talk to me again"

"I was jus-"

"Don't make me repeat myself. I may look weak but I have a strong punch. No seriously, go."

He looked down and let his hair droop over his face. He didn't say a word leaving the house; he just left it with a tiny creak as he closed the door. I finger-combed my hair out of my face and let out a big sigh as I dropped back and looked at my sealing.

_Why oh why does everything half to be overly-dramatic? Just face the fact that we are NOT LIVING IN A BOOK!_

My eyelids fluttered shut and I was asleep.

…

I woke up around three to the sound of Mizu scratching at something in the living room. I got up thinking she was probably just hungry and was trying to get my attention. I passed her, into the kitchen and grabbed some Fancy Feasts. As I was finished filling her bowl in my room, I started petting her while she ate. That was about the only time she would purr.

"Y'know, my mom got you so I wouldn't get lonely, yet, you're always avoiding me…. I wish I could bond with you, and tell you about all my problems…. You'd be a good therapist, he he."

She just flicked her tail as a response. Mizu was a lot like me. Never really social, always minding her own business, and she knows she looks pretty, and never acknowledges that you're looking at her. She's reverse psychology in the making.

As these time wasting thoughts flew around, Mizu finished her dinner and ran out of the room, all in about 5 seconds. _Fatty_. I walked over to my mirror and noticed all the split-ends in my hair that was now down to the curve in my waist. Yes, I have curves, very curvaceous curves to be precise.

I just sat there for a good ten minutes looking into the mirror before I heard my mom pull up in that old Mustang. She opened the door and started heading upstairs. She was halfway down the hall, in front of my bedroom, before she stopped and hollered, "Honey, you up?"

"Yea, but I woke up not that long ago"

"D'You feed the cat?"

"Yup"

She kept on walking and shut the door behind her when she was at the end of the hall. Again, she yelled at me through closed doors.

"Food in the bag in the kitchen, make yourself some Ramen if you're still tired and wanna go back to sleep soon… Oh and there's also Tylenol on the counter if you need it."

"Ummm, okay mom, thanks."

She gave a 'No prob' and then didn't say a word. I walked down to the kitchen and decided to eat half a piece of bread with jelly spread on it. I'm not much of a heavy eater when I'm at home. I returned to my room and snuggled into bed. I drifted away, knowing I'd had to go to school the next day.

I woke up feeling 'Fresh'. I put my uniform on and trotted downstairs along with my cat, both looking for food. I had a waffled and a cup of chocolate milk. Not the syrup mixed in with milk kind, but the powder kind. I forgot what it was called but it started with a 'c'.

I left the house at six thirty, planning to get to school at seven maybe seven ten. I ran, remembering all the times walking only brought trouble… Especially when you stop and take a nap.

I got to school at seven and saw that the class was all huddled in a group. No one gave me the "Come here" sign, just "Die" and "Get lost" signs, so I sat down.

Mr. Seff's went by fast, and so did Sandra's. No one even bothered to notice I was there until lunch. Destiny and Alexis started swaying towards me. Alexis was short, really tan, and a head turner just because she has what _They_ call "Melons" and what _I _call "Padding".

"Hey, do you wanna try out this drink? It's hella cool!"

"Um….Sure?"

I reluctantly drank some of the fluid they gave only to discover a fool of myself. They were both laughing like they were looking down on me, then, in unison, they said, "Have fun getting WAISTED! Hahahaha"

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"We put alcohol made for high tolerance drinkers in cool-aid"

They walked away as if they explained everything. _WHAT? I can't be drunk! Not on school grounds! Shit!_

I literally felt it kicking in. I wasn't at all tolerant with alcohol…. And I was only afraid for my mom's sake at this point. She would lose all trust in me AND be ranked a bad mother.

We still had ten minutes of lunch left and I was out of it completely. All the sudden I had the urge to… get intimate. I spotted Anthony and targeted him. I tackled him and started kissing him all over the neck.

"Hey… Uh, Um K-Kenzie, Wha… What are you doing?"

"Don't worry; I just wanna see where you're…. Ticklish"

Anthony went red within seconds. He was probably trying to resist with all his might. I started unbuttoning his uniform when Cody showed up and took me by the arm.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?"

"Hey you…. Hey, wait, YOU! Go away!... I dun wanna talk to you!"

We stopped in the hall and he gave me a stern look.

"Are you… Drunk?"

"WELL…. That's what that BITCH told me before she walked off… To show her….whaddya call 'em… Goody-goods"

"Oh my, we need to bring you to the infirmary before anyone finds out"

He dragged me into the room but no one seemed to be there, so he put me in a bed and pulled up a chair.

"Why… Are you still here, with your… You."

He laughed at my improper grammar. "Look, I just don't want you to get in trouble, but if little miss princess wants me to leave the-"

"NUUUU! Why don't you um, get comfortable."

"Okay, I might just do that then, why do you so eagerly want me to stay?"

"Kiss me"

Cody looked baffled but only for a short moment, he then started kissing his way up my arm, then up my neck, and then. We kissed... And…. Well, I fainted.

When I woke up school was already over, and I had the worst headache. I looked down and noticed Cody never left my side, and he fell asleep holding my hand… How sweet. I got up and looked for a sticky note to say my thanks before I left. I didn't want to disturb him. After I found one and wrote a note on it, I walked over to set it in front of his face. He was whispering something I couldn't hear until I got closer.

"K….Kenzie… I lo…."

I became flustered the mere second I heard it. _LO? Was it love? No, it couldn't be, he barely knows me!...Loathe? Oh my god what if it is!_

I dropped the sticky note and stammered out the door. Once I left the school I was thinking about all the assignments and how I was going to finish them… I didn't even know what they were…. UGH!

I got home and ate all of dinner and even another portion. When I was halfway up the stairs my mom stopped me.

"What's E'matter honeybun? You haven't said a word since you got home"

"Um… Just spaced out I guess"

"Well honey, maybe you're still sick, why don't you go lie down?"

"Okay, love you"

"Love you too Kenz"

_*CODY's Journal*_

_I woke up about a quarter 'till four, and she was gone. I lifted my head to see that she left a note. It said, "Thanks for lookin' after me, I notice you talkin' in your sleep (: be careful"_

_Man, just a note from her and my heart starts racing… What am I going to do? Once she comes to school tomorrow she'll obviously avoid me at all costs…. HAVE to think of a plan to win her back…. I saw her smooching with Anthony while she was drunk and I couldn't help but get outrageously jealous._

_Is it love? Or just another crush…. Let fate decide, and decide a good one :P_


	7. First One, Then The Other

I woke up and was happy to realize that it was Friday... I got out of bed at around six-ish and walked down to the kitchen. Mom was coughing really hard in front of the sink, and I rushed over to see what was wrong. She replied with an "It's okay, it's just coming back for a little bit" and she was talking about her sickness.

Both my parents were diagnosed with a sickness. Unfortunately, my dad couldn't make it. After my mom gave birth to me she had a fatal attack of sickness. It went away after a while but lately she had been more lethargic than usual. I told her to go to the doctor if it got too bad and she again told me not to worry. With that, I left for school.

I ran again, thinking about what would happen if my mom was hospitalized again. I thought about school, and the work I needed to catch up on… I thought about Jewel and the plans she had for me. I thought about Cody and… I thought about… Stuff.

I arrived at school and immediately started working on missing assignments. I finished one before a new substitute walked in. I didn't give much attention but the girls around the room were saying how "Cute" he was and whatnot. I heard footsteps coming my way, and the voice of an old friend say her greetings for the morning. No, it wasn't Jewel; I don't consider her a friend. It was Dana, the girl I knew since kindergarten. The one girl who knew most of my secrets.

"Hey. I've noticed you looked kind of, really sad lately. D'you need a friend?"

"Actually, Dana, yea. I have been searching for a shoulder to cry on."

I looked up and tried to smile. She gave me a look of sympathy. Dana was a little shorter than most girls. She has curves but you can never tell due to the way she can amazingly make everything look extra baggy on her. Her hair was a dirty blonde that always hugged the edge of her tomboy face.

That was probably the longest it had been in years, considering she always has it pixie-cutted. I thought of her as a protective brother…even though I am older. We work as a pretty good team, if I think about it. She can beat up most kids, so she can handle the physical stuff, and I know 90% of the dictionary, so I do verbal.

"HELLLO!"

"Oh, sorry, I was spacing out… Do you…wanna hang out at lunch, or something?"

"Yea sure."

Finally, someone who has my back. Life was kind of getting hard, with the loss of Jewel, and the gain of a few enemies. I continued to do my work while the sub introduced himself.

"Hey, my name is Maverick Stenerson. I moved here a week ago with my fourteen year-old son, Nick, and my wife, Courtney. You can call me Maverick. Okay, so to get to know you, I'm going to do roll call and when I call your name, say something about yourself."

He started with Dana, and she said that she spent most of her time wrestling her brother. Great bio.

"Cleary!"

"Oh, um. Hey, my name is Kenzie; prefer to be called Max, I… Play piano, and stuff…. I guess. Sorry"

He looked at me weirdly and moved on. He looked about 26 at the time, maybe younger than Sandra. I finished nine out of ten assignments by the end of the period, and finished the homework due the next day. While everyone was leaving I put the papers on the desk.

"If you don't know what to do about 'em just wait 'till Seff gets back."

He laughed as I tuned away. Making my way out of the door, I bumped into what happened to be his son, Nick.

"Uohp, sorry. Didn't see you there."

"Oh, well I thought I was just distracted by your cuteness, therefore I bumped into you."

"How cliché."

He was cute but I didn't have the time. I caught up to Dana and we talked about how our life was going on our way to Sandra's. I handed her in all the assignment for that class, and she spent five minutes commending me.

When I got to my regular seat, I noticed that there was a note lying on the desk. I sat down and started reading. It said:

"_Kenzie, what's up? You haven't talked to me all day. Are you mad at me or something? Did I do something wrong yesterday? I'm sorry if I did. Please write back. –Cody"_

Ugh. I got out a blank piece of paper and began writing.

"_Look, I'm not mad or anything it's just, I have a lot of assignments to catch up on and Dana's been wanting to hang out… And yesterday, I was the only one doing the "bad" things… But guess that was entirely Destiny and Alexis's fault. So yea, don't be sorry."_

After that he didn't reply and I just sat there staring into space, because I had already done all of my work. Before I was about to fall asleep, the bell rang and the class evacuated the room like there was a fire. I got up and left as well. I was walking up behind Dana when all of the sudden someone tripped me.  
I wouldn't have minded, but there was a flight of stairs below me.

I remembered that one time when I was running down the street really fast and tripped. The only difference was, at that time, someone saved me. I closed my eyes and yelped. A second later I was in someone's arms. I opened my eyes to see Nick smiling down at me. He was smiling at the fact that I was hugging him with most of my might.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but thank you so much, I was worried there for a second. Eheh."

I started to walk away but felt a terrible pain in my left ankle. Out of impact, I knelt down to the ground. I got back up and was lifted off the ground.

"Hey, no, put me down!"

"Nope, now, where shall I escort my, princess?"

"To the ground! Just, let go of me!"

"The infirmary it is!"

He carried me as if I weighed 30 lbs. We got to the infirmary, and he set me down on the bed. He left for a short while and came back with the school nurse. Her name was Dolly. She had bleach blonde hair that was always in two short braids. She put an ice pack on my foot and told me to wait for about 15 minutes with it on. Nick and I started talking and I noticed we had a lot in common. Before the 15 minutes was up, we were both laughing until our stomachs hurt.

Dolly came back and put a brace on me. She said it was okay to walk but I would have to skip P.E. Nick walked me back to my class and said goodbye, but I stopped him before he left.

"Th-Thanks… I haven't laughed like that in a while. It's really nice to find someone that thinks the same way I do"

I truly smiled for the first time since me and Jewel laughed together. His cheeks gave off a red glow and he turned around.

"C'ya later"

I walked in to Mr. Buell's room and sat down. I turned around to notice that Cody was just staring at me. I gave him a 'What?' face and he shrugged and looked out the window. _What's his problem? _Mr. Buell wrote "Self-study" up on the board and explained that he had a meeting to go to and reminded us that there were cameras. With that, he left.

I got out a Science book and, self-studied. Well, at least I tried to before someone's hand smashed down on my desk. I looked up to see Cody's stern face looking straight into my soul.

"So, how are you and the new kid getting along?"

"Why should that be any of your business?"

"Because, we're friends, right? And plus, I'm just _dying_ to know."

"Um… You look fine to me; I'm trying to _study _here, so go away."

_Why should I be nice to him? He loathed me anyway, right?_

"Fine, Ts'no use anyway, considering how annoying you are."

He walked away, and Dana showed up.

"Hey, you weren't there at lunch, what happened?"

"Oh, someone pushed me down the stairs, but luckily Nick saved me and carried me to the infirmary, because I sprained my ankle pretty bad."

I gestured to the brace I was wearing.

"Oh, Nick _Stenerson_? The new kid? He's freakin' HOT!" Next time you see him, ask him out for me will ya?"

"Um… Okay?"

It was quiet for the rest of the class. Just a few giggles and the sound of pages turning. Everyone left and headed to the gym. I went to the office and asked if any of the classrooms needed assistance. They sent me to Nick's class… Of course. It was Mr. Wagner. The meanest teacher there. I asked what he needed help with and he gave me books, notebooks, and worksheets to hand to everyone.

I first handed out the worksheets and books, then the notebooks. When I saw Nick's, I looked to see if Wagner was looking, and when he wasn't, I wrote a note in the notebook, that said,

"Hey, do you know Dana? The short blonde? Well, she wants to go out with you. You don't have to reply now, but before tomorrow would be nice"

I handed it to him and returned to the front of the class. I looked back at him and he was holding up a small piece of torn paper that said "NO." I laughed at his face, and Mr. Wagner scolded me. Helping out was kind of fun. Every time I would pass Nick, we both poked each other like we were playing the gentle version of tag. Mr. Wagner told me I could leave, and everyone yay-ed. _Rude._

I got back with my class and followed them to Language Arts. That class also went by pretty quickly, along with the rest of the day. I began walking home when Cody caught up with me.

"Let's walk together."

"Was that a question, or a command?"

"Ugh, just walk with me, okay?"

"Fine, but I don't see why you would want to walk with someone if you're so mad."

"Do you even know why I'm mad?"

I shrugged me shoulders and looked at him.

"I'm mad because you keep flirting with the new guy."

"And, why exactly are you mad because of that? Or, perhaps it _jealousy _you're feeling, not anger"

He stopped and looked down. "And what if it is."

"Ummm… I, I don't kno-"

"See, that's why it would be better if we were going out, 'cause then I'd have a valid reason to be jealous, 'cause that dude it flirting with MY GIRL!"

"I'm not YOUR girl, okay? You don't own me. And stop acting like we were meant to be. Unlike other girls, who WANT to be yours, I'm not irreplaceable."

"Then why can't I find ANYONE else like you?"

"'CAUSE YOU'RE NOT LOOKING HARD ENOUGH!"

"WHAT IF I DON'T WANT TO? What if, I think you're the one? Mackenzie, I need you"

"What you need is a reality check. It's been 5 days since you met me and yet, you're already confessing your love? I bet you don't even know my middle name, or my favorite food, band, color, or my birthday."

"I can learn those things later. What I need to know is your personality, and so far, I know that you're a kind-hearted, over-tolerant, mature little spit-fire on the outside, but on the inside, you can't help but think of your own problems. Consider what OTHERS think for a change."

"I don't need to change."

"And what if you actually do? What if you're not so perfect?"

"Nice way to confess."

Just then, he grabbed my arm and twirled me around. "Understand that right now, it's hard for me to even talk to you, let alone insult you. I take what I said back. You may not be perfect to OTHER people, but you're exactly what I'M looking for. Now please, you don't have to be my girlfriend, but right now, can you hold my hand?"

I couldn't resist his gorgeous puppy-dog face. After that, we started walking towards our housed again, holding hands. We got to his house, and we were just standing there, looking at each other for at least ten seconds. He leaned in and kissed my forehead.

"Be careful." He wrapped both arms around me and hugged me tightly for a minute or so, and then he entered his house.

As I walked back, all I thought about was. "Am I falling for him?"

… _What a nice way to end the day…_


	8. Wonderland

I woke up, yawned, stretched, got up, got dressed, and left the house. Instead of walking down the road, my usual school-day routine, I wondered behind my house. A long ago, when my dad was still with us, we used to go way back into the forest where he had built a house for me to play in. We mowed the lawn around it and put a fountain in the middle of the field, five feet in front of the house.

I fought my way past the blackberry bushes and spider webs. When I got there, I felt like crying. A single view of the torn-down house sent many memories of the laughs me and Dad shared while playing "Tea-party". The grass that used to be finely cut was now up to my shins, mostly dead. The fountain was still intact, though some shards crumpled off.

The house that holds so many secrets was barely even there anymore. Plants were growing out of all corners. The windows were cracked, and the hinges to the door were all broken. I looked up. Tree's looked as if they made a dome over my childhood, sealing it away. Beams of sunlight went along with the humid air.

I walked inside the house, and looked around. Everything was the same as we left it. The table was still there, along with the teacups. The small pink and blue plastic chairs were sitting across from each other. I sat down in the pink one, which was slightly smaller than the blue. I picked up a teacup and dusted it off. I noticed that there was a sun-stained piece of paper folded up to match the size of the bottom of the cup. I picked it up and opened it.

"To my dearest friend, Max. Some time ago, I told you not to come here alone, thinking the big forest was much beyond what you could overcome. But now that you're much older, I'm glad you came to visit our little wonderland. I believe that this magical place is what keeps us together. Even though I know you're fun to get along with, and right now you probably have a lot of companions that care about you, you would never bring any of them here…

See, that's how we are alike, and that's why, right now… I dearly wish that I was next to you, so I could hear your laugh, so I could see you smile, and so I could wipe away your tears…. Tell mom I love her, and miss her… And poor yourself a glass of tea…. I love you honey… Take care of the place while I'm gone….. Good luck…"

I quickly hugged the paper and began crying. I didn't want to show Mom. I didn't want to make her cry again. It was now my…no, our little secret. I cried for a good deal of time, before I noticed that this place was slowly tearing away from me. Since mom threw away all of dads tools, I couldn't start actually working on it yet. All I could do was tear the vines down, but I was afraid that those were the only things holding the house up. I walked back to my house and asked mom if I could go down to our cousin's house.

"Yes but, why are you visiting your cousins?"

"I just need to borrow a few tools from them, maybe catch up a little, Y'know"

I rode mom's old bike down the street to my cousin's house. I ran up the steps and knocked on the door. Katie answered.

Katie was 14, tall, slim, and gorgeous. Her shoulder-length hair was a dark ash brown with a tint of red. She had razor sharp bangs that stopped at the tip of her freckled nose, but she always pinned them up with bows. Her wardrobe was your average teenage punk. Nothing brighter then gray, with occasional white skulls here and there. Skinny jeans that were a few inches too long, with a studded belt slanting around the waist. Converse with emotes sharpied onto the white part.

"Is…there something you want?"

"Oh, yeah….sorry, umm Can I borrow some of your tools?"

"That, I'm not in charge of. I bet Thomas is in the shed right now. Why don't you go ask him?"

"Oh okay, thanks."

"Whatever."

I ran over to the shed and, like Katie said, Thomas was in there, building….something. Thomas was 16. His tastes were far different from Katie's, however. He always had a plaid shirt on with the sleeves rolled up. A pair of Levi's, and Nikes. His strawberry blonde hair was always up, kind of like Robert Paterson, only less "shaggy."

"Hey Max! Haven't seen you in a while!" He gave me a big hug and lifted me off the ground for a second to whirl me around."

"Yea, sure, hi. Hey, um I was wondering…. Can I borrow some of your tools?"

"Well, that depends… Are you going to do destruction to something? Build something from scratch? Fix something up?"

"Yea, fix something up"

"Then… Need help? It wouldn't take long if it was in the hands of what you would call… A master"

I didn't like the thought of an outsider invading my wonderland.

"NO. I'm just fine on my own thank you. Anyway, I need tools for fixing up an old house, like, a tiny house"

"Okay… Just trying to help, but whatever. There's a box in that corner filled with what you're looking for"

"Yea, thanks"

"No prob"

I grabbed the box and left. I strapped it to the back of my bike and headed for home. I enjoyed feeling the warm spring breeze on my face. The sky was blue… But there were grey clouds coming. As I approached my house I noticed that there was someone else's vehicle in our driveway. It was my mom's doctor, Kevin. I dropped the bike and sprung for the door. I came skidding into the living room when I saw my mom lying on the couch.

"Mom? What's going on, is everything okay?" She didn't respond. As I got closer, I noticed that her eyes were closed.

"KEVIN? What's wrong, is she-?"

"Shhhh, don't worry, she's fine, she's just sleeping. It was a false alarm, but I gave her some medicine just in case."

Kevin got up to leave. He stopped in front of me.

"Keep a close eye on your mother. Don't let her use too much energy for the next three days, and she'll be back to normal"

He gently closed the door behind him as he left. I walked over to the couch and slumped down next to my mother. She opened her eyes and looked at me.

"I'm sorry…" whispered out of her chapped lips before she fell back asleep

I then laid my head down on the cushion. My mind slowly drifted away into a black abyss. Tears rolled down my cheeks. "I'm sorry" was something I didn't want to hear her say. "I'm sorry" were the last words I heard dad say. I suddenly remembered the note and started crying more heavily. Just moments later I was asleep.

I woke up in a blanket, lying on the couch, alone. I jogged up the stairs to mom's room. I creaked open the door and saw her sleeping on her bed. I walked back to my room. Mizu was sleeping on my pillow. I wasn't sleepy any more. I walked down to the dark kitchen and looked out the window. It was raining.

_The note!_ I looked for a jacket but didn't care much about myself. I ran out the door into the wilderness. I couldn't see anything. It was all pitch black. I repeatedly kept pulling the drenched hair out of my face.

I approached what seemed like short grass and knew I was there. I picked up my pace a little and tripped over a vine. My ankle that was injured at school sent an excruciating pain throughout my leg. I got up to my hands and knees and started crawling for the house. I was reaching for the crooked door that was only a blur in front of me when all the sudden thunder struck. I retrieved my arm and huddled in a ball.

I told myself I wasn't scared, again wiped my hair out of my teary eyes, and reached for the door. I gently pulled it my way. I got inside the house and felt my heart beat drop a little. Even though there was a storm outside, I felt warm. I was surprised at the fact that the place was barely leaking. I took off my shirt and started twisting it outside the broken window. I set it aside to dry afterwards.

I found the note lying on the table. I put it in one of the drawers of the small dresser that was in the corner. Inside another drawer was a big table cloth. I wrapped it around me and it slowly started soaking up the water. I looked around the small house that used to be so big to me. When I was young I believed that this place was pure magic. And it made complete sense to me. It was deep in the forest, where no passerby could see. It was small, yet beautiful. And like right now, it gave you this warm feeling.

That feeling gave me the imagination to be whoever or whatever was possible back then. My dad said that he was a wizard. I thought myself to be his 'little helper' and that one day, he would pass his magic onto me. I closed my eyes and listened quietly to my wonderland. The rain stopped, which meant I had to go home.

I folded up the cloth and put it back in the drawer. I put my shirt back on. It felt damp. I got up to my feet, and started feeling the ceiling. I was only four or five inches above my head. I remembered how dad always used to have to bend over just to get through the door. I left the warm atmosphere into the dark forest. The air was cold; the moon was crescent and hiding behind monstrous trees. All the clouds had moved to a different place. The grass tickled my legs, leaving trails of water as I continued to the tall bushes.

I walked up our front steps, twisted my clothing once again, and entered the house. It was warm due to the furnace. I tip-toed back to my room and quickly changed into something dry and warm.

I snuggled into bed with Mizu next to my chest. I could tell she was worried by the way she enthusiastically purred. I adjusted my position and let out a big sigh. I fell asleep, thinking of my plans for the soon to be, new and improved wonderland.


	9. Point Of Views

Hey it's ME, the AUTHOR. :D I need (mostly want, but still need) more reviews (Thanks to those who are always reviewing, *Rachel-rob-Sandwhich*) I want to know your opinions on what you want to read, er, what's bothering you. What you're not getting enough of, y'know, that kind of stuff. I NEED YOUR SUPPORT TO KEEP WRITING!~

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I woke up sometime around twelve, fed the cat, put my "workin'" clothes on and left the house. I walked over to where I had dropped the bike to find a certain someone looking at the tools.

"Whatcha buildin'?"

"Go home Cody, I don't have time for your childish acts"

"Really. When's the last time I was childish? When I wanted to romantically hold your hand? When I saved you when you were intoxicated? Or wait no, let me guess. When I played "Spin-the-freaking-bottle" with you and the others…. Or might you be thinking of… _That _time"

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Oh? Shall I refresh your memory? What was it now? 'Ahhn'?" Cody looked like he was having a fun time trying to harass me. Only, he was just making a fool of himself.

"Shut up and get off my property"

"Technically, it's not _your_ property. It's your landlords"

"If I were you I'd leave." I clenched my fists and gave him a stern look.

"Come on. Worst case scenario, you tell your mommy."

"Worst case scenario I use one of those tools to bash your head in"

"Ah, but I'm the one closest to the tools now, aren't I?"

I stomped over to him and yanked the hammer out of his hands. "Fine, do what you want, just leave me alone"

"But that's why I came here; I wanna know how your day is going"

I grabbed the box and made a run for it, ignoring what he said. Once I got where I was heading, I turned around. He didn't follow me.

"Well then, now that that's over with, let's get started"

"I looked to see what was in the box. Gloves, nails, boards, a handkerchief, large clippers, wax for the board, superglue, and the hammer was in my hand. I grabbed the clippers and started snipping away at the vines all around the place. I felt like a ninja conquering deadly snakes. I put those down and started yanking all of the weeds.

When I was done with plant work, I grabbed the superglue and started putting fallen shards back on the fountain. On top of the main bowl in the fountain was a swan balancing a bird bath. Both were filled with rain water. AS I waited for the glue to dry I started with the more complicated stuff. With the hammer, I yanked out the rest of the hinges and set them aside for later. I did the same with the window sills.

I pulled out all the odd nails and replace them with new ones. I climbed up to the roof and was amazed by how sturdy it was. I put a few boards in where it was about to fall in. After I got down I noticed that it actually didn't need much work. It seemed magical after all. I got out the wax/polish stuff and started rubbing it in with the handkerchief. I turned most of my attention to the door. I wiped it off and started putting it back on the doorway; the holes were already there so I just screwed the hinges in with my nails, then hit them with the hammer.

I broke the rest of the glass out of the window and straightened out the frame. I looked up and saw that the sun was disappearing. I felt a quick pain in my palm. I cut myself with a piece of glass. I wasn't much surprised, as I had expected something to go wrong. I rummaged through the box to search for bandages when I heard footsteps.

"Cody to the rescue."

I gasped, there was an outsider here. "GO AWAY!"

"Jeez, does it hurt that bad?"

"You're not supposed to be here…G…Go away… Please…" I was unsuccessful at holding back the tears and appearing to be a big girl. My hand wasn't what I was upset about.

"Let me see it…" Cody grabbed my arm and removed the handkerchief I was grasping. The cut was about one inch long, not deep. Cody took his time putting on the bandages. He then positioned me to where I was sitting in between his legs, with his arms around my stomach, and his head laying on my shoulder.

"When's the last time you ate?"

"I don't know"

"Kenzie, you have to take care of yourself more… It makes me worry… I can leave if you want, I can see this is one of your secret places."

He moved as if he was leaving. I lunged at his chest, hugging him tightly. "Please… Don't leave me"

"Okay, but remember what you just said."

His lips found their way to mine. I tasted his tongue. His hands lifted my shirt, and with two fingers, he undid the clasp in the front. "Ah…" I felt weird. I started tingling, and my legs crossed over each other tightly. "Don't worry, it's natural" Cody whispered as he stopped for a breath of air. I pulled his hand out from under my shirt. "Not for my age. Just kissing, that's all"

"Fine..." He started frenching me, more passionately then before. He grabbed me on the sides of my ribcage and rolled over to where I was on top. My fingers were entwined in his soft, straightened hair. His arms started shaking from holding me up for so long. I leaned my butt down and laid it on him.

He groaned at a high pitch and threw me off of him. I smirked.

"I'm sorry, did that feel good? Don't worry, it's natural"

His face was the color of a strawberry. As I was chuckling he jumped at me.

"Really? It's funny when someone else is at utmost pleasure?… Well then…Let's see you put me in a good humor."

He picked me up and took me into the small house, and shut the door behind him. He put me down, moved the table and chairs to the far corner, and faced me again. He quickly took off my shirt and had my bra dangling at the sides. He held both of my hands above my head with his left hand, and with his right, unbuttoned my jeans. "NO!" He put his finger up to his lips in a 'shh' manner. I kicked him in the stomach.

"This house holds so many precious memories to me, and I'm not just gonna let a perverted degenerate like you ruin that! Get the hell out!"

"Hey, you we-"

I slapped him as hard as I could. "I don't think you have the right to backtalk me. If anything, you should be lucky that I'm giving you time right now to get the hell out of this house, and get the hell away from my property before hurt you to the brink of death. I'm not afraid to go to juvi you son of a bitch"

Cody rose to his feet, did his head-drop thing, and left. I sunk down to the floor, hooked my bra up, put my shirt back on, zipped my fly, and started laughing. _Oh my lord I haven't felt that powerful in a while. I think that jerk gave me a boost of confidence. _

I just sat there for a few minutes, thinking. After a long contemplating moment, I got up and looked around to see exactly what I was doing before he came into the picture. I tried to put both hands on my hips but had trouble with one of them. I looked down to see the neatly bandaged cut. The windows!

I knelt down next to the window frames ad got back to work, pretending nothing happened…..

Cody's P.O.V

I slowly stood up and left, giving her the upper-hand. I raced myself threw the worn-down blackberry bushes. As I walked out to the street I saw that Max's mom was outside of their house looking for her. She noticed me and asked if I had seen Max. I felt somewhat under pressured to tell her where her daughter had been. If I say will her mom get mad?

"N… No sorry, I haven't but if I do see her do you want me to tell her to come here?"

"Oh no, it's fine."

Her hand was up by her head, holding something. As she turned I noticed she was on the phone. I tried to hear who she was talking to.

"Ah… It seems that she's not around at the moment. I'll tell her you called. Does she know your number? ... Okay, good. Who was this again? Nick? Okay, thanks… Mmmbye"

I suddenly got infuriated. _When the hell did she give him her number? I don't even know their number! _I stomped off, jealous of Nick. _Why does she have to like him and not me? I mean, it's not fair! _After all the violent thoughts seemed to have left my mind, I arrived at my house. Before turning the doorknob, I heard dad yelling at my mom. _When did he get back? _

I open the door and they both stopped and stared at me. "Honey, go up to your room, we're having an "adult" conversation right now." I felt reluctant to leave. I had to protect mom. I turned towards my dad and gave him a stern look.

"Why are I turned towards my dad and gave him a stern look.

"Why are _you_ here old man? Were you not satisfied by your last visit? Just _had_ to come back?"

"You shut your god damn mouth and go to your room"

"If anything, _YOU _should be the one shutting his god damn mouth! I'm sick of you tormenting mom! Just because you're jealous that she found someone better than you doesn't mean you have to have a freaking competition! It's over dad… You can stop trying"

His hand rose up and I winced. "JACK!" my mom had tears streaming down her ruby red cheeks.

"What? This just proves that you can't do anything right without me. He used to have respect. Now look at him, he's turned into….."

"You" I interrupted. "I'm turning into you, and that is something I'll _NEVER _be proud of. The only thing different is that, unlike you, I actually have common sense, I wouldn't go off and betray the women I love just to 'have a good time'"

He back-handed me across the face. Similar to how Max hit me. I still felt like winning this fight.

"Y'know, that doesn't make you any better of a man. If anything, it lets you stoop to such a low level you wouldn't even have the right to stand your ground in this household, but no, the thought of rebelling makes you feel better about yourself. You know what? You need to face the facts and realize it was your fault not moms. And I swear to god if you ever to-"

"CODY! That's enough; you've made your point"

"Yea but he won't listen, isn't that why he's here in the first place?"

Dad grunted and turned for the door. It slammed. I looked up at my mom. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks Cody" She hugged me for a moment, and then held me away by my shoulders.

"Now tell me, what happened?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't try that with me young man, I saw you crying before you even started this fight with dad."

"Oh… That… Um, don't worry, it's nothing"

I shrugged out of her grasp and headed down the hall to my room. The whole scenario reminded me of Max. _I bet she's talking to Nick right now. UGH! Why can't I just forget about the damn girl! I just hate her and her rudeness, and the way she laughs, and how she looks cute in everything, and how she makes me go crazy at just the sound of her voice…. _I felt tears rolling down my eyes…. Not manly at all. I flopped on my bed and stared at the ceiling. Everything went fuzzy, and I was asleep…


	10. The War Has Begun

Heyy, On the P.O.V (Speaking of those, tell me if you like them) every time i start a chapter, It is Max, if not it will say "So and so POV" Most P.O.V's are at the end of a chapter, every few chapters. THANK YOU~ PLEASE SUBMIT REVIEWS AND KEEP MY WRITING SPIRIT UP~

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I woke up and was disappointed at the fact that it was Monday. I dragged myself out of bed and got dressed for school. Once I got downstairs I saw mom talking on the phone with Kevin. I didn't bother to say anything and interrupt what seemed to be a fun conversation, so I left for school.

I met up with Cody half way there, but he didn't say a word to me. In fact, he avoided eye contact with me the whole way there. The walk to school felt like it took hours. Awkward silence made me feel sleepy, so I slowed my pace a little. Cody didn't wait for me, he sped up. I decided to let him be that way and just continue with my day.

I walked in the classroom and Maverick was behind the desk.

"Still no Seff?"

"Guess not, He told me he had a business trip but he should've been back yesterday."

I didn't have anything else to say, so I walked back to my desk. I was extremely bored, so I got out all the un-sharpened pencils I had and, well, sharpened them. All in the middle of that Maverick asked me to go hand something to Mr. Buell. I agreed to do it and left the room with the papers.

As I was walking down the halls, I thought about Nick and started blushing. I started to feel hope that he was in Mr. Buell's class this morning. To my surprise, and sheer delight, he was. _Alright, be cool. Act like he's not even there. _I walked up to Mr. Buell and handed him a sheet of papers and told him what Maverick had told me.

"Ah, thanks you. Can you go get that red folder in the back there? I need to hand that to Seff, er, Maverick ."

I looked where he was pointing and saw the folder, then I saw Nick, and then our eyes met. He side-grinned and I couldn't help but become flustered.

I stammered to the back of the room and reached for the folder. It was on top of a high shelf, I was on my tip-toes, looking like a fool trying to reach it. Nick got up from his desk and walked towards me. He reached for the folder and grabbed it firmly.

"Here"

"Uh, thank you so much! Well, not 'so much' but thank you. I mean, if not you, someone else probably would've got it. But that doesn't mean you're special. Well you are but not in the bad way. I mean, well I would never think that 'cau-"

"Haha, you're weird."

"I'm sorry! I mean, it's not really my fault for being weird. It's because I'm talking to you. Oh but that doesn't make me feel uncomfortable or anything. Soooo….Yea"

He smiled and chuckled a little. I walked back to the front and said thank you to Mr. Buell. I left the classroom and made my way back to Maverick.

His class was self-study because he wasn't expecting to be there today and didn't have any lesson plans. I got out a book and started reading. The book was a shoujo manga about a girl who falls in love with a vampire, the most un-original storyline ever.

In the middle of the fifth chapter, I spaced out, wondering what the world would be like with vampires, and if I happened to have fallen in love with one. In books, it always seemed like the boys cared more than the girls. I then began giggling at the difference between that and reality.

Before I knew it, everyone was already heading for Ms. Carla's. I sped up and met with Dana on the way there. She looked at me, and smiled. I smiled back and nudged her. When we got t class Dana and I sat in seats next to each other. Throughout the class we gave each other notes with funny pictures on them. I looked to the front of the room only to find Jewel glaring at me. She held up a note that said:

"I'll make it to where you'll never laugh again."

I rolled my eyes and looked back down at my paper. I couldn't believe how far Jewel was going just because she saw me kissing what was her boyfriend at the time. Actually, I couldn't believe most things that had happened to me. Everyone was being overly-dramatic. I then noticed Jewel was giving the same look she gave me to Dana. I looked at Dana, she looked at me, and then looked down her desk.

Was she avoiding eye contact? "Dana?" I whispered. Her reply was an unsteady but rude "Shut up"

The rest of the class I felt worried. After it was over we all left for lunch. I didn't see any signs of Dana until we were sitting down. I walked up behind her and tapped her shoulder.

"Dana, what's up. You've been acting weird ever since Sandra's."

I saw Destiny, Alexis, Jewel, and others giving Dana weird "Do it already" looks. Dana gulped, turned around and threw her milk in my face. This got everyone's attention.

"Dana, what the hell was that for"

She just laughed and sat down across from Jewel. Immediately, They acted as if I wasn't there. I had enough. I walked up behind Jewel, tapped her on her shoulder, and when she turned around, I smacked her in the face. "Bitch" was what seemed to have grunted out of her lips before she jumped on me.

She was grasping my throat, and I was yanking on her hair. I kneed her in the gut and she rolled off of me. I got up and started to walk away, but then she grabbed my bad ankle and pulled it as hard as she could. Hitting the floor knocked the wind out of me, along with all of my pity for Jewel. I flipped my body around and punched her in the throat. She threw her arm at my face and scratched it with her fake nails.

My cheek started bleeding from three different places, and I yanked my foot out from her hand. "Pathetic, all of you" I towered over Jewel and spoke to her in a loud, yet smooth voice.

"I can't believe I thought you were better."

I turned for the gym doors and left. I walked to my locker, grabbed my things, and headed for the front door of the middle school. On my way there, I ran into Nick.

"O….Oh my god. Are you…. Okay?"

"Just moved out of my way and stop acting like you care."

I pushed him away and walked out the door. Nick started following me.

"At least tell me what in the hell happened, I mean, have you looked in a mirror?"

"Battle scars don't give me any confidence, only shame."

He grabbed my arm and I winced. I yanked out of his grasp and continued walking up the street. Nick continued to follow me. "If you keep following my trail, once we get to my house, and I shut the door, you're gonna be lost."

"Then I'll just stay there until you open the door again. But… That's not the point. Are you sure you're okay?"

"YES!" I twirled around to face him. "I'm just _peachy._ Are you happy now? Can you leave me alone."

"Look, I'm just worried abo-"

"No. No you're not. Someone wouldn't care about a stranger so much. Especially someone like me"

"You're not a stranger. It's like, you're my kryptonite. I feel like I can't get away from you. Like a magnet to metal."

"Where'd you read that from? Or did you look it up online."

Nick just stared into my eyes for a moment. Then, his face showed pure sadness. He slowly extended his arms around me and hugged me. "I don't like seeing you hurt."

"I don't like hugs. I don't like liars. I don't like the fact that you don't know what you're getting yourself into. I d-"

"I don't like the way you're touching her"

Looked around Nick to see Cody standing there, with his hands in punching position.

Unconsciously, I pushed Nick away from. Well, tried to push him away from me. I felt as if he was trying to protect me from Cody. "I suggest you let go of her"

"I don't need your suggestion. She's perfectly fine, and _safe_ with me"

"If you don't want her in this upcoming mess, I suggest you move her away."

I didn't know what was going on but Nick did. He pushed me to the side and made a firm stance. Cody came running towards him. His punch was blocked by Nick's forearm. Nick then grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him closer.

"This is nothing to fight over. Why don't you go take your anger out on something else."

"You're just looking for an excuse, coward."

Nick then shoved him to the ground, still holding his collar. "Look you little punk, _I _suggest you get your ass out of this location before Kenzie sees how weak you really are"

"Ditto" Cody punched Nick in the gut, and got back up to his feet. He stomped on Nicks back, forcing him to the ground completely.

"STOP YOU'RE HURTING HIM!"

Cody just looked at me and laughed. "You hear that, Nick? I'm hurting you"

I ran over to them and tackled Cody. He then flipped us over to where I was being pressed against the pavement. Cody was holding both my hands down with his. To make things worse, I was already sore from the previous fight. I started crying softly. Cody seemed to have snapped out of it. He picked me up and held me close. "I'm so sorry."

"Well I'm not." I punched him in the ribcage and walked away. I approached Nick and slapped him across the face.

"Why can't you just be the better man? Better yet. Why can't you just forget about me? 'Cause seriously, I'm sick of your elementary school drama."

I took my leave, strutting with pride until I made it out of their sight. I got home and had mom waiting at the doorsteps for me.

"Go do the dishes, then do the laundry, then feed the cat, then finish all of your homework, then it's straight to bed. I'm waking you up at 3 to take out the trash. No questions. I'm not giving you a break either, so GO."

"Yes ma'am."

_This is complete and utter bullshit, I didn't do a god damn thing, why the hell is it MY fault all the sudden. _

I did what was asked of me, and then laid on my bed and stared out the window.


	11. The Bliss Never Stays

I was awakened by mom's alarm. I unwillingly got out of bed and put some clothes on. I ran down stairs and stopped in front of the garbage can we have in front of the door, I opened it and took the bag out. I then set it down and turned for our storage room.

Whenever we don't have the energy to take the garbage out, or the can is full, we set the garbage in our storage room. I grabbed two bags that were in the and walked back to the front door. I had trouble picking up the third bag but managed to fling it over my shoulder in a Santa-manner.

With the garbage, I walked outside and threw the bags down near the road. I hurried back inside because the morning chill was causing me to shiver.

Noticing that taking out the trash had only wasted ten minutes; I walked back up to my room and laid on my bed. Waking up again at six thirty, I got up and dressed for school. I decided to skip breakfast again this morning.

I started my way to school. Everything seemed quiet. Almost, too quiet. The walk there surprisingly had no encounters, no mishap, no drama, yet no fun.

When I arrived at school, I noticed there was a big riot going on in front of Mr. Seff's classroom. For a second, I thought it was a fight between Cody and Nick, but Nick didn't take the same classes as us. It ended up being just a bunch of girls. When I walked up to them, they all gave me demeaning looks.

Words like "delinquent" and "Scum" were being passed around as I walked into the classroom. I looked over to my regular seat only to find Jewel sitting in it. "Oh, I'm sorry, this is my seat now. You'll have to sit in the back."

She pointed to a seat that was partly isolated from the rest of the class. "Sorry, but today, I'm not taking shit from you"

"You shouldn't act cocky. It's bad from your image."

"I don't think my image is the one worth worrying about."

"Screw you"

"In your dreams, dirt-bag"

With those words, I walked over to my new seat. Out of anger, I moved it another foot away from the other desks. After I calmed down, I noticed that Cody had entered the room. He walked up to Jewel, and sat in the seat next to hers, scooting it closer. _WHAT THE FREAKING HELL? _

I looked back down at my new desk and reminded myself of the words I spoke to him and Nick the other day, "…I'm sick of your elementary school drama!..." I took all of this as a chance to make life like it used to be. Austin and Hunter, my cousin and childhood friend walked up to me with criminal-like faces on.

"Okay Max, here's the plan, Austin and I are gonna be on your team. Slowly but surely, with our charm, others will join us too. Here's the thing though, we have to stay together, and trust no one outside of the team. So you can't talk to Cody, Jewel's too much of a direct target. Dana we can try to get back. Alexis is easily influenced. Others we can think of later"

"Okay, sounds like a plan, thanks."

Just then, Jade Hartley walked up to my desk along with Josi Hill. Jade was tall and much too skinny, with light brown hair that reached her shoulders. Josi was a little 'chubby' but had a beautiful face with highlighted caramel hair that was probably down to her elbows. I couldn't tell because she always kept it up in a tight ponytail. Jade was Austin's girlfriend, while Josi was Hunter's.

"We're in on this too."

"Okay, also cool."

The four of them walked back to their desks and sat down for class to start. Hunter looked back at me and gave a thumbs up.

Mr. Seff walked into the classroom and most people yelled "welcome back" in unison. He wrinkled his forehead and looked around the class.

"This isn't the normal seating arrangement, is is?"

Jewel perked up and humph-ed. "Well, while you were gone, a war was declared"

"Oh my, I hope it doesn't get out of hand. Eheh…. Well anyway, let's start today's lesson. Open up you books to page three fifty seven. And look at section 'B' please."

He started explaining how something together with another thing equals a whole different thing. Same stuff we've been being taught throughout life. _Ah, school is so boring. I wonder who established the first ever educational facility. It seems like we already know enough about life though. I mean, in our generation, little first-graders already make numerous sex jokes throughout the day. Although its quiet despicable, I find it funny. What wonders. Mediocrity._

I slowly tagged along to what Seff was reading out of my worn down textbook. Casually writing down notes here and there. Afterwards he gave us the assignment with about ten minutes to work on it. Of course, no one but Zack and I actually try to finish it. We all got up and left when we heard the bell ring.

Today, third period was with Mr. Buell. Some days, Sandra got to work late due to personal business. When that happens, she and Buell switched periods.

When we got there, my new "team" sat to where the girls were at my sides, and the boys were in front and behind me. Again, Jewel sat on the complete opposite side of the classroom, with Cody next to her.

_Seriously, what's his problem? I mean, yea, she's pretty and all but… Weren't you fighting over me the other day? YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE ME JEALOUS! I mean, SCREW YOU!_

I started furiously blushing at the thought of me being jealous. I couldn't make up what the hell was wrong with me at the time. The day flew by. I went home, nothing happened. Wednesday went by. No attacks, no flirting. Thursday went by. Paranoid, worried, and annoyed. Friday, the weekend, the next week. A whole month went by, and no one did anything, just serious conversations at the lunch table.

Today, it was Monday. School has already ended. And the busses hadn't arrived yet. All the students were waiting outside. I saw Jewel and Cody standing close to each other in front of me. I nudged in between them and turned to Cody.

"What. The. Hell. Dude. Seriously, tell me what's been going on, 'cause I have no idea, and you're driving me to the brink of insanity. I swear if the hulk was as jealous as me, he would smash you. HULK SMASH…. Smash…._Smash…__Smash_"

I heard Jewel giggle from behind me. I didn't avert my eyes from Cody's. Slowly, waiting for his reply. His mouth opened a little bit.

"Moooooo"

My mind went blank. 'Moo'. _Was that a secret code? Are they attacking? Wait, no, they're not doing anything. WHAT'S GOING ON? _

I spun around and faced Jewel. "What in the world are you planning? I have been aware of everything around me, yet you don't even attack. What's with that? You're obviously trying to make me paranoid, Obviousyl, Ovbiously. Obvouilsy. AGH! I can't even say it! See what you do?"

She just smiled and extended her arms around my back. "The question isn't 'what _you _do' but 'what _we _do'"

"Wait, what? Do you have a knife in your hands? Don't stab me!"

"Hehe. Silly, I just wanted you to feel what I felt. And, I wanted you to confess. You like Cody, don't you."

My face went completely red. "I….Um….No, I just….He…. LOOK! The bus is here! Goodbye!"

I started running up the road. I put both hands on my cheeks and felt how hot they were. _I can't possibly like him, after all the things he has done. What is wrong with me? Oh my freaking god. _I showed up at home thirty minutes earlier then I usually do. "MOM!"

"What is it, honey?"

"I…. I just noticed that I like someone!"

"You don't have to yell, I'm right here, Jesus. Who is it?

"Cody"

"Oh my, and I thought you were gonna say the Nick fellow. He seems so nice too. I mean, Cody kind of seems like a delinquent, Y'know?"

"Well yea but h-"

"Nope, I don't want you dating him; you're the kind of girl who is influenced too easily. And he could take advantage of you. I mean, I wouldn't let him get away with it though. Are you sure you like him?"

"Well, today, Jewel asked me if I liked him, and I started blushing a lot. And for the past few weeks, every time I see him with a different girl, I get really jealous."

"Oh honey, it's a false alarm, you're just getting women instincts. Maybe you're on your period."

"Mom!"

"Whatever, this is nonsense. Go to your room and do your homework."

"(sigh) Yes ma'am"

I walked into my room and sat down in the bean-bag chair next to my bed. I opened my bag and took out the Shoujo I was reading recently. I opened up to the bookmarked page and began reading.

In chapter seventeen of the story, the main character, Rumie, gets kidnapped by bad guys, and Chiro, The other main character is the only one who knows. Of course, the predictions I make are always correct. He ends up saving her, the next day they show up at school as if nothing happened, later on he gets 'thirsty' and takes her blood, also confessing his love. And the girl is dazzled by his lovely words, so they end up loving each other. Then something bad happens again.

I read too many Romance novels. At the end of chapter 20, I stop reading and decide to go to bed early. Before getting any more comfortable, I get up to feed the cat and use the restroom once more. Once again, I walk into my room. I undressed and put my favorite night gown on, and then I fell asleep under my warm covers. Life seemed like it was getting a lot better for me. I was wrong.

I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of an ambulance truck. Of course, that sound wasn't new to me. And it didn't mean any good either. I quickly jumped out of bed and rushed down stairs. The front door was open. Everything outside was tinted with deep red due to the lights. I saw mom on a strolling bed, so I attempted to run up to her. People I didn't know pushed me away

"I should have the right to see her! I'm her daughter!"

Kevin showed up behind me and put his hands on my shoulder. I walked me over to his car and let me in. I knew what was going on. He was going to take me to his place to stay, which was in another city, while my mom recovered. Well, hopefully recovered. I knew I was crying but I didn't feel the tears. Everything was numb. Reality flew back into my world. Memories, Sorrow… Maybe even Goodbyes.

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Heyy(: I need more reviews! Even though every time I get one, It makes me squeal with joy, I still think my story isn't that good... Remember though, this is the first one that I uploaded online, so no high expectations are aloud :D MORE MORE MORE (Reviews, that is)~ Pwease? LUV MY SUPPORTERS! AND READERS! VISITORS TOO! ... Maybe even my haters... You motivate me (; haha


	12. As Time Passes

I woke up late the next morning. I was laying down on a futon, with a nightstand next to me. The clock showed that it was nine twenty something at the time. I suddenly remembered last night's events. I didn't have time to worry about school. I could tell that my face was emotionless. Just when I slumped back into a comfortable position, Kevin walked in the room.

"Sorry if I woke you, but I wanted to tell you as soon as possible. Your mom is fine; she just needs a few weeks to recover."

"WEEKS? How am I going to get to school?"

"I already emailed your principal about what has occurred. No need to worry. If your mom doesn't get better within the proper amount of time, you might need to move in with your Uncle Josh, since he's the closest relative to the hospital."

"I wanna see my mom."

"You can't right now, she's sleeping. Her attack was due to stress. Seeing you might worsen her illness"

"So, basically you're saying I'm a hindrance. Wouldn't it be better if you just left me at the house?"

I sprung out of bed, pushed Kevin aside and ran for the door. "I don't need this!"

He ran after me, and eventually caught me while I was running across his yard. "Get back inside! Based on results, we don't even know if you're healthy enough to be running like this!"

I shrugged out of his grasp and stomped my way back into his house. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Look, I can't legally show you, but your grandmother. She died at age thirty five, due to the same sickness your mom is going through. Your great-grandmother, she died at age twenty seven, while giving birth to your grandmother. She too had the same sickness. Your mother was diagnosed with it when she was twenty. It hasn't gotten any better. Right now you're thirteen. I want you to be physically prepared for whatever might be thrown at you."

"But not mentally? You don't even know the things I'm already going through."

"Like what, did your boyfriend breakup with you?"

Immediately I thought of Cody. I started wondering if he was worrying about me. I thought of Jewel, and how we were slowly becoming friends again. And yet, somehow, I feel as if I forgot about Nick, as if I forgot about what happened. Shoving it away and hiding my sadness.

The days went by, reading the same book over and over, waiting for test results, awakenings, phone calls…. An excuse to be happy. Pretty soon the "proper amount of time" was upon us. My mom was still in the same state she was a week before that.

Kevin drove me to our house so we could pack our things. One by one, I put portraits of the family when we were happy in a small suitcase. I walked into the room that hadn't been touched for so long. I emptied it while fighting back tears. After the day-long work, I slept on the way to my Uncle's. Mizu was huddled up close to me, scared of losing her warm shelter back home. Losing all of her special hiding spots, her hunting spots, and the ray of light that beams down on her when stretched across my bed.

I kept whispering to her, "It's gonna be okay" when really, I needed someone to tell me those same words. Passing the school was the hardest for me. Watching the blur of an old building slip out of sight.

I reminded myself that things like this happen, and you can't expect the best. Yet, why. Why me. Why mom, why dad, of all families, did this one really have to tear apart so easily?

I knew we were there because the car started shaking more when we came up the driveway. Josh and Hidey were waiting outside. Hidey smiled at me, and said that I was going to share a room with Charmaine. I looked pass the two adults, down to their children. Charmaine looked about eight, more or less. "I'd rather sleep in your basement."

"We could make that happen."

"JOSH!"

"What, not even a day on my property and she's already disrespecting us."

"So where's the basement?"

"Go down the hallway, it's the last door."

We all stayed silent for a moment. I then turned for the car, opened the trunk, grabbed my luggage, turned for the house, and passed them. I walked down the hallway and opened the last door. Just by the smell I could tell it was really hot down there. I looked back at the odd family looking at me.

"Thanks"

I closed the door behind me and walked down the stairs. There was a couch, and a bed. All the walls were stone. There was a big furnace in the far corner. I heard footsteps moments later. Kevin opened the door and walked down to where I was.

"Okay, you don't have to be so rude you know, and about school yo-"

"I'll take my chances with street smarts for a few years."

"Just because you think your life is so tragic, doesn't mean you can be so stubborn. You're starting school in a month. Hopefully that's enough time to get your mind of most things, and for your mother to get better.

"Okay…"

I couldn't think of anything else to say. Kevin left and didn't come back for weeks. They made me do most of the chores the kids didn't do, purposely made my portion a little less because "younger kids need more protein than the older ones"… Uh huh, yea sure.

Josh had always hated me because if it weren't for my mother giving birth, she would be happy and healthy. I blamed myself for that too. But seriously, how could you avoid that after you know you're pregnant already.

The days lingered on and I started school. I wasn't liked much there, but that's because at my old school, they knew the me that was happy and cheerful all the time. I was happy that I was allowed to walk 'home' though. I would occasionally stop by the store and buy cat foot and some snacks with my chore money. Everything seemed like it was okay, nothing reminded me of anything, 'till one day at school…

I was walking down the corridor when some kid name Jake stopped me. "Hey, you're Kenzie, Kenzie Cleary, right?"

"I would prefer Max but yea, why?"

"My cousin talks about you _all_ the time on Xbox. He always says how much he misses you. You should come over some time and talk to him, he's on every night.

"Well… I guess this all depends on who you're talking about."

"Cody. Cody Jenkins?"

The name suddenly smashed into me like a boulder. I had then noticed that Jake's last name was also Jenkins, and it didn't even occur to me. I looked down and kept walking.

"HEY! So do you wanna talk to him sometime?"

"NO."

After that, I realized that I had missed my last chance to speak to him. A whole year and a half went by and no one mentioned him. My mom was slowly getting better and that made me worry a lot less.

High school was a little hard but I managed. I would stop by the hospital and bring my mom flowers. We would talk about how we missed the humid feeling of the old house, and then we would laugh about the latest thing on the news. Aside from Mizu, mom was my only companion.

More days went by and it was her birthday. The doctor said she wasn't healthy enough to go out but we could visit her the whole day. I brought her a bouquet and some chocolate. I drew a portrait of a humming bird, along with a letter that said:

"Mom, I know it might be hard for you to smile, let alone laugh with me, but that doesn't stop me from being selfish, and taking advantage of your kindness. Every now and then I think, 'If I wasn't here, would my mom be okay?' but today, I thought different. My answer to that question is no. You need me…  
Yet, the reason you need me is not because I'm awesome and entertaining, but so you can see what power you hold within you. You made me what I am and I am as proud as ever. Every time you see me smile, I want you to stop and think to yourself, 'I created this beautiful creature, introduced it to the world, hid it from the world, protected it, scolded it. Taught it. Watched it, and loved it. I gave it a name that she would come to when others call out. There is only one major difference. To them, she's Kenzie, Max, a friend, a lover, a companion. To me, she's…. My daughter.  
I love you mom, and always will. No matter what you say, I want to be like you when I grow up"

Even though it saddened me, I was smiling when I watched her reaction. Tears glistened across her cheeks, one sparkle after another. She hugged me for a long time while the others left. She then fell asleep. I kissed her on the forehead and went back 'home'

Every few days, when I showed up at the hospital, I saw Kevin there. Even though I didn't really like him, I never disturbed when he was in the room with my mother. He always made her laugh so much more than I do. For that, I envied him a lot.

Days started passing by again. And one day, mom decided to let me go to the carnival for the 'Rhody days' When I showed up I bought a bracelet and started walking around. To my surprise, I met up with an old friend.

"KENZIE? Is that you?"

"Hey Jewel"

She started to cry, but smiled too much. She ran up to me and embraced me with all her might.

"I really thought I would never see you again."

"It's not like I was dead. No matter what, we're bound to see each other somehow, right?"

"Haha, I guess…. Man, look at you, you've gotten SO much prettier. I'm not even joking you look like a model! Of course, your hair needs a re-do."

"I'm surprised you said that without looking in a mirror, you're still drop dead gorgeous as always, my friend"

We started striking poses and laughed. We rode a few rides together before she had to leave. WE hugged again and planned for a date. I then rode a few rides by myself and played a few games.

I ended up meeting Dana, Hunter, Josi, Levi, and a few others. I waited for it to get dark and approached the Ferris wheel. I walked up to the ticket-guy and politely asked, "Ride for one please"

Just then somebody rushed up behind me and showed the man his bracelet and put his other hand on my shoulder. "Make that two please."

We both sat down facing each other. I could only see his dark figure in the night sky, but I already knew who it was just by the atmosphere.


	13. The Sad Songs

"I've missed you" were the very words he spoke to break the silence. Blurs of lights were surrounding us. Every now and then I could see his face. I was very aware that Cody had gotten more handsome. Yet, when I first caught sight of him, I was very taken aback.

"I… I'm sorry; I don't know what to say. Hows… School?"

"Terrible. Everyone misses you. Kenzie, we need you back."

"Well I wish I could come back but… I can't. Kevin says we need to stay close to the hospital for a few more months. And school for me isn't so goo eith-"

"Can I kiss you?"

"Wow um okay. This is a first. Usually you just do it."

"I know but I want to be better. I want your true permission. Better than anything, I want _you _to kiss _me_."

"Okay… I'll try… But just to warn you I'm probably really bad at kissing."

I leaned in closer to him. Everything went silent and I could hear him breathing softly. His breath smelt like cotton candy and sierra mist. All the lights went blurry as I closed my eyes. Our lips met in the most passionate manner. He then put his hands on my back and pulled me closer to him. We were now sitting on the same side.

Surprisingly, I didn't feel his tongue once. Just his soft, warm lips that tasted of something minty. He gently held me away and then hugged me.

"What's wrong, why'd you stop?"

"I didn't want to get carried away."

I started blushing and just held him tighter. I felt drips on my back and jumped a little.

"Are you crying?" He didn't respond at first. Instead, he squeezed me and kept sniffling.

"I told you I missed you. Seeing you now and noticing how beautiful you've become is all too overwhelming to me. I wish this night would last forever. Just then the Ferris wheel song changed from some jumpy tune to "Without You" by 'My Darkest Day.' I started crying. Music always made me more emotional.

"So true." The words could only be heard by me. They could only make me cry more at the time. We started on our second time around the wheel and he was holding me as if I couldn't myself up. And right then, I probably couldn't.

"Don't be mad at me, but I think I love you…"

I couldn't believe what I had just said, but at the same time, I was proud of myself. It was silent for a while.

"Please… Say something…"

He started crying a little more than I was. "I don't want to wake up, but I must be dreaming. Say it again."

"Cody, I love you" This time I whispered it into his ear.

His fingers entwined into my hair. The song ended and it was "Kiss the Rain" but it was playing really quietly. I felt my watch vibrate and my tears stopped. "Cody, I have to go, my alarm just went off. I'm really sorry."

"Run away with me."

"I can't. I can't let my mom get stressed over such a thing. It's not good for her health."

"You're not the only one with family problems."

"I know. But I don't know. Sorry. I don't want to fight with you Cody."

"Fine. But I swear one night; I'm coming to get you. Will you run away with me?"

I started crying again. I wanted to. I really did. But I couldn't leave everything behind. The song slowly faded into "Speranzaria." I remembered when I was young I had a music box that played the song. I was wondering why the Ferris wheel played so many sad songs when it got dark.

"So. Will you? If you're scared, I'll take care of you."

"Cody… I… I have to go…"

Right when I left the carnival I could hear "River Flows in you."

I ran. Almost afraid to turn back. I didn't know what came over me. When I got to the house I still had the song stuck in my head. I didn't want to wake up everyone by opening the front door where it 'dinged' so instead I went straight into the garage and into the basement. The lights were still on in there, and it was warm. I was out in the cold for so long it felt like a hundred degrees in there.

I slumped over on the bed. Mizu was mad at me, because she was worried about me the whole time.

"Don't worry, I'm not leaving you baby girl."

She curled up next to me, I pulled the string that shut the lights off, and pulled the thin sheets over us. Once again, I felt as if something was left behind when I came 'home.' I looked down at Mizu and she was already asleep.

"Poor girl must've been up the whole time thinking about me. It's okay; I won't be out after dark again anytime soon." While I was whispering the words, I was stoking her fur gently. I remembered what Cody had said to me. I remembered everything Cody said to me. With two fingers, I touched my lips and felt sad.

Even though I found out about my true feelings, I almost regretted ever going to that carnival. Seeing those people make me miss them even more. Somewhere along these thoughts, I went to sleep.

I woke up to Josh gleaming over me. "Why in the hell were you late last night?"

"I wasn't, I came home when my alarm went off."

"I said _BE_ home by the time the alarm went off. Pick up a shovel; you're lookin' after the horses for the day. Maybe you can think about what you did."

"Y'know, just thinking about it isn't gonna make it _disappear_"

He noticed Mizu was under the covers, still sleeping. "Pets shouldn't be so spoiled."

He started reaching for where she was. "Touch her and I'll hurt you."

"You can't talk back to me like that. I'll kick you out of this house."

"I wouldn't care, that'll only give my mom trouble." I got up with Mizu in my arms and walked passed his defeated aura. I set her down next to her food bowl and put food in it. "Get out, I need to change."

"I swear if you disr-"

"Do you want me to take care of the horses or not?"

He then left and I put a tank top on with a jersey on top of then with some Levi's and boots.

The day went by fast. The next day was Monday. The whole day at school people were saying what rides they went on and who they saw. All in all, it was annoying. That week of school also went by fast.

I was thinking hard on what Cody actually might be thinking of. If he was to show up at the house and find me, what would I do? Could I simply just reject him? I was worried, yet happy. It reminded me of the 'war' that went on in school a year and a half back.

I began to think of how much I missed all of my friends, and how much they missed me… Ah, so much was on my mind.

Cody's P.O.V

We were sitting there, motionless. _Did she just say what I think she said?_ I tried to act cool but I couldn't help being outrageously happy. But then I noticed that I might've just heard it. _What do I say?_

"I don't want to wake up, but I must be dreaming. Say it again."

Kenzie leaned in closer to me and whispered in my ear, more gently this time. "Cody, I love you…"

It tingled throughout my whole body. Finally, I heard what I wanted to here. I held her closer. Suddenly, she told me she had to go. I couldn't of anything sweet and romantic to say so then I just came up with something.

"Run away with me."

She started refusing and using her mom as an excuse. I just led her on and started being mean. She said sorry and stopped the argument. This song started playing that made me sad. Not as sad as the first song, but still. She ended up leaving and left me all alone on that cold night at the carnival.

I called my cousin and asked if I could spend the night at his house, considering I had nowhere to go. He agreed and we talked about his school, and my school. We got quiet and he looked me in the eyes with a serious face.

"So, Kenzie. Do you love her?"

I felt angry because he asked me that. Of course, I loved her, how could I not love her? She was everything I wanted, everything I needed. I then thought that Jake liked her, therefore he brought the question up. I turned away from him and lay down.

"Good night."

I quickly went to sleep. I woke up early the next morning and had his mom take me home. The week went by, along with Kenzie being the topic, because almost everyone had seen her at the carnival.

I missed her more than I ever have. I wanted to see her. I wanted to hold her. I wanted to hear her say "I love you" again. I was diagnosed with the deadly love sickness… I made plans to go see her as soon as possible… I wondered if she was going to be excited.

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Heyy~ I need reviews. What happened to them? I'm not gonna upload any more chapters if i don't get at least three more reviews. :D +I really want you guys to listen to one of the songs if you haven't heard of them already, or if you just haven't heard them+ I almost cried writing it because i was listening to all of them, one after the other. Thank you!~


	14. Dream Twins

Heyy~ Yea I couldn't help it. I know i didn't get three more reviews but I just can't be that evil! I got one more review and that satisfied me...But now I, once again, have the rumblies, that only reviews can satisfy :P. You can favorite the story too. I feel special when people do that :D. Have fun, live life, and read my story. (: take note seriously on this chapter... Some words might help you. Whether you didn't know how to spell them, didn't know there was such a word, or you're feeling down. Someone says stuff that is somewhat motivational... Well sorry for me being annoying, taking up all the room here with my nonsense... Enjoy this chapter! Write a review about it if you can! Love ya~

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I woke up Saturday morning to Josh starting his Dodge. Him and Hidey were going on a date with the kids and asked me to watch the house. They wouldn't be back until seven-ish maybe eight.

I put a midnight blue camisole on with some capris and converse. The days were getting hotter. Ironically, I'm still pale. The only time I'm inside is when I'm at the hospital, school, or sleeping.

I left the house to go down to the store. This time, I took a different route than usual. One that cuts through the trees. It takes longer, but there is more shade. Halfway there, I saw a skate park on the other side of the street. A bunch of kids from my school were there. Jake was sitting on a bench to the side. He was talking to someone but from my angle, you couldn't see who it was. I leaned to the side and tried to get a better angle. I fell over, snapping a few twigs.

Most of them looked over at me and started giggling. Jake saw me and hit the person next to him a few times. I was a boy. I couldn't see his face because he had his hood on. Once he looked over in my direction, he stood up. He yanked his hood back as far as possible and ran towards me.

"CODY? What are you doing here?"

He grabbed my arm and lifted me off the ground. He hugged me, and then pushed me back to give me a look-over.

"Hello"

I blushed because I haven't heard his voice in a while. This seemed like a really awkward scenario once I noticed my surroundings. I was speechless, remembering about the last time we saw each other.

"So um, hey do you want to hang out with us?"

"No, sorry I can't. I was taking a short-cut to the store and I just happened to stop by here. Yea I got to go, so um, bye."

I turned around and started walking the other way, but Cody grabbed my arm and whispered in a saddening tone, "Don't avoid me because of what I said."

Suddenly, Jake broke the silence that was lingering after Cody's words.

"Hey, what's goin' on?"

Cody was embarrassed and let go of me. "Nothin'! Ah, me and her are just gonna go for a walk, I'll be back later though. Sooo… See ya!"

Cody and I took off. He looked at me laughed, then looked down at the ground. "Whoa, wait do that again"

He looked at me weirdly and asked what I was talking about.

"You barely ever smile, let alone laughed. You should more often though, it's really cute"

He started blushing and covered his mouth. I laughed. "Your laughs a lot cuter"

"Not even!" His face was a deep red. At that moment, I felt like we were a couple.

"Hey, let's hold hands"

His smiled widened when I asked him, and he didn't hesitate to grab a firm hold of my hand.

"Oh my god, you're really soft."

Cody started feeling my arm, then my cheeks, and his fingers stopped at my lips. "Cody, you're so cute, it's almost unbearable"

I giggled a little then leaned towards him more and kissed him on the cheek. Instead of his reaction being a smile, it was quite the opposite. His smile faded into a straight line.

"Stop submitting yourself, it's not fun if you do that"

He let go of my hand and walked a little farther ahead than me. We arrived at the store about five minutes later. He stayed outside while I bought Mizu some more food 'cause we were getting low on that. I also bought a Crush and a Pepsi. I gave the clerk the money and walked out the door.

"I don't know what you like so just pick one"

He stared at both of the sodas in my hand for a strange amount of time. "Pepsi"

I handed him the drink and we started walking back towards the park. As soon I was got deep into the trees where no one could see us, Cody grabbed my arm and twirled me around.

"Let's stop here for a bit"

"Um, okay…."

We sat down against a big tree, sitting close to each other. Very close.

"Don't think of me as being selfish, but I really want you to only show me your cute side"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He moved in a quick motion to where he was in front of me. "For instance, the expression you make when I do this"

He leaned in closer and licked his way up the side of my neck. I calmly yelped.

Cody pulled down the straps to my shirt. "You can't let anyone other than me do this."

"Cody, stop! Look, I know I said I love you but I seriously don't want you doing these things"

"How long do you expect me to wait?"

"Cody, a man who is truly in love doesn't need intimacy, all he wants is to see the girl he treasures smile"

"A man like that only exists in your stupid Manga's. Trust me, every guy on earth wants sex after they've hit puberty, and not mushy-mushy crap."

"Don't involves guys you don't even know into your own problems"

I stood up, and grabbed my bag of food and my soda. "If making love is really the only thing you want, go find some other girl to 'fall in love' with"

With those cruel words, I left. My neck was burning hot and it gave me a weird sensation. When arriving to the house, I grabbed the keys out of my pocket and opened the garage door. Mizu was lying on my bed, looking at me lethargic-like. I put some fresh food in her bowl and slumped down in a beanbag.

I began wondering if that was the last time I was going to see Cody. After a while of just lying there, contemplating, I fell asleep.

In my dream, I was Rumie. It started out with me running through a dark forest. I didn't really know if anything was chasing me, but I kept running. I turned around for a short glance, and saw werewolves. There were nine of them. I was terrified and tried to run faster. My sides started hurting, and I was out of breath. The werewolves were getting closer.

I heard a yelp and a few swishing noises coming from the bushes. I looked back and saw a boy around my age, surrounded by dead monsters scattered on the ground. "Are you… Chiro?"

"Chiro? No, my name is Dustin. And you're….Max, right?"

"Wow, okay I'm sorry, I thought I was in a manga"

"Not at all, you see, we're dream twins"

"Yeaaa… You're gonna have to explain that to me"

"Okay, so… I don't know if you can remember but when you were little, you used to always go to sleep at seven thirty. And surprisingly, so did I. And every time we fell asleep at the same time, we would be in each other's dream, making the dream more vivid and believable. It's really something I can't explain. But we happened to both fall asleep not too long ago, therefore, I'm here, and you're there."

"So, how come you knew about it and I didn't"

"I dabbled into witchcraft after I turned ten…. I'm about to wake up soon, if you want to talk to me again, go to sleep at about ten thirty"

I woke up as if my dream was a nightmare. I got up and grabbed a hairband to push the bangs out of my head. I checked the time and it was only four twenty seven. I decided to go visit my mom.

I grabbed a bike that was sitting in the garage. Walking to the hospital usually takes half an hour. I got there within twenty minutes. I walked into the building and informed the lady at the table that I was there to visit my mom. She gave me the card to her room and I left. I got on the elevator and pushed the button for the third floor.

The doors opened and I started looking for mom's room number. After a minute I found it and opened the door with the card. Mom was laying there staring out the window.

"Hey mom"

She turned and looked at me. She smiled. "Hi honey…"

I grabbed a chair and sat close to her bed. "Mom, you wouldn't believe about the dream I had, there was this boy, named Dustin. And he said that we were "dream twins" so that every time we fall asleep at the same time, we see each other in our dreams"

"Well, is that not the weirdest thing"

"But do you think it's true?"

"Oh heavens no, it's impossible"

I just giggle along with her. Again, we talked about dramatic shows on T.V. After an hour or so I gave her a hug and kiss, then left.

I got home around six. I grabbed my Manga and started reading it. I was startled when I heard the truck pull up the driveway. Everyone stepped into the house laughing. Not one of them even bothered to check on me. Five minutes after everyone parted and went into their rooms, it went silent.

I looked over at my backpack. I was partly open and I noticed that I had homework due for school. I decided to let it be and finish it on Sunday. I continued reading my book and lost track of time. The last time I had looked out the window, it was bright and the sun was causing my eyes to squint. I shot a glimpse outside and saw complete darkness.

I looked at my clock and saw the numbers "10:24." I suddenly remembered what Dustin had told me. I dragged myself out of the sunken beanbag and rolled into bed. Mizu jumped on top of me and fell asleep.

I drifted asleep and everything was dark. I 'woke up' in a cloud. I felt as if I weighed that of a feather. I stood up straight, only to notice I wasn't on the cloud, I as simply hovering above it. I felt a small pain in my back, and when I reached my arms over to see what it might have been, I felt wings.

"Nice, isn't it?"

I shrieked and turned around to see Dustin, with bigger wings than me, smiling in a suspicious way.

"This can't be real"

"It's not"

He flew a little closer to me and sat down, pulling me don with him.

"You see, right now in reality, I can tell that you are going through some rough times, and the reason I can tell that, is because, look around. This dream is a true beauty, and dreams are our psychological manifestation of a memory, a wish, and a wonder. You wish that your life was like it was, yet more magical. Simply, you want perfection. Well my dear, you do know that perfection is what hurts the most. With perfection, you have no sorrow, and with no sorrow, you can never really tell when you're happy.  
With perfection, everything you wanted would come to you, without hesitation, and believe me, anticipation is better than realization"

"Y'know Dustin, you seem smart."

"You only think that because you don't think too much. I think about every little thing until I understand it"

"Then don't even try thinking about me, understanding this thing will take you a long time, trust me, I'm me, and I don't understand me"

"That is because you're spending all of your time trying to be you when, you is just something you see when you look in the mirror, and it is nothing anyone else can take hold of. I know about Cody, he wants to capture you like a white crow and put you in solitary confinement. Don't trust him, nor the people around him. And that does mean that you should not trust your feelings when you are around him"

"Are you like a therapist?"

"I just know things. And these things that I know of, well, the stuff that I have just now shared with you, remember, because… I'm waking up soon, and you will be left in darkness. Mackenzie, find the light in the day, and be not sad when dark arrives, yet rebellious, for it will only last a short amount of time."

"Okay, I'll um… Try to figure out what that means"

"Everything makes sense when you don't need any more proof, ironic, I know, but unfair. Remember! Beautiful is an ugly word!"

With those words, once again, he left. In that last second, I felt my wings crumple up and disappear, along with the clouds, the sun, everything above and below me.

I then woke up, with tears flowing down both sides of my faces. I had no idea, what-so-ever, about what was going on…


	15. Premonition?

Hey, sorry it took so long for me to get the next chapter out. It would've been alot sooner if my computer would stop crashing before i could save it. Plus I had many ideas for this chapter. This wasn't the best, but I didn't want to waste any more time making my precious fans wait. So anyway, enjoy!(: Review if you want, I'm not holding you back!~

* * *

I took a shower, hoping that would ease my mind a little. It was Sunday. I got out, and did my hair. I trimmed the edges and the bangs. Noticing how much of a good job I had done, I wanted to move on the next step. I opened the cupboards that were below the sink. There was a makeup kit with eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara, and blush. I started with eyeliner.

With a wet brush that's tip was as tiny as a needle, I made little black lines under my eyes, and on the inside too. I brushed it across the line where my eyelashes grew, making them look more noticeable.

I looked into the mirror and squealed. I was actually good at this. I took one of the q-tip-like brushes and rolled it in white eye shadow. I covered my eyelid until the first crease. After I was done with white, I rolled the brush in grey. From the middle of the lid, I stroked outward. After finishes this on both sides, I grabbed a different brush, much like the eyeliner brush, and tipped the outside of the lid with a faded black.

I put some blush on very lightly, and almost forgot to put the mascara on. I grabbed a piece of tissue paper, and rolled the mascara in it once or twice, so I could avoid getting those big clumps. I applied it, and with my fingers, I gently pet my eyelashes upwards. This separated most of them.

I looked in the mirror and noticed how much the makeup made me look better. I smiled. It was still early and cold. Even though, I headed out for a walk. I didn't go in the direction of the store, instead, the opposite. I hadn't walked this way before, so I felt a little adventurous.

My plan was to make it to the beach. The house I was staying in, along with others in the same row, lived by a wide river that led to the beach. I was assuming that the walk there would take an hour or so.

As I got closer to my destination, the river banks were more shady and green. The ground look really comforting, yet I'd much rather lay down in sand than grass. Speaking of which, while I was looking forward, completely spaced out, I didn't noticed the grass faded more and more, slowly turning into a warm, light brown sand.

The river disappeared into a lake. Not the beach, but a small lake. It was still absolutely gorgeous. I walked down about a foot from the water and just stood, while the wind brushed across my face. My hair was noticeably long now. I had forgotten the last time I had cut it. The ends now made their way down to my lower-back. Most of it was flowing gracefully in the wind.

I looked ahead of me, away from the water, the trees, the ground. Just ahead of me. I had this weird feeling in my eyes, like I was seeing something that wasn't there. I felt like I could see the air, and the secrets within it. I slowly closed my eyes.

A flash of red and white flew into my mind, leaving me confused and a bit scared. Even so, I was more afraid to open them. I just held my eyes closed and enjoyed the wondrous images that went through my imagination. I saw no clear scenes, just emotions. Happiness, jealousy, curiosity, and anger.

All the sudden, I tried to let sound enter these thoughts. First thing I heard was "Kenzie" from a lot of familiar voices. The voice that stood out the most was dads. I tried to focus on his words more carefully.

"Don't…. Trust…" was the only thing I could hear out of the mumbling sounds. After I gave up guessing what it meant I heard "….I love you baby girl…" I started crying due to how vivid and realistic the words sounded. I slowly replied.

"I love you too Daddy" then, with a change of direction in the wind, came a change in the feeling. What I assumed was sorrow, dramatically flipped over to fear. The sound of flames, crying, screaming was a harsh whisper in my ears. It was slowly getting louder until it sounded as if it was right next to me.

I opened my eyes quickly. I saw a little girl holding a porcelain doll. The girl with wearing a long white, blood-stained night gown. She looked about the age of five. I spoke without thinking, suddenly calling her name.

"Maria"

She looked up through her pure white hair into my eyes. I felt like I had met her before. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something, and then disappeared into thin air. Afterwards came a rough wind howling at me. Everything went quiet and I heard. "Mommy"

I wasn't sure what happened that day, but I didn't want it to happen again. I ran home, thinking that if I stayed there too long I was going to disappear along with the girl. First place I went to was the hospital.

I told mom about it and she didn't say anything. Her face was white. Then all the sudden, she broke the silence.

"I don't know sweetie, maybe it was a premonition."

I just let it slide out of my mind afterwards. Mom usually made me forget about a lot of things. I went home and read, also finishing my homework. I then went to sleep without anything weird happening.

Monday, I woke up and put makeup on. Grabbed my striped tank top and put a plaid over-shirt on top of it. Added some grey skinny jeans and my new fluorescent pink converse and left for school. Unlike my old school, having the privilege of actually picking what you get to wear was kind of cool.

I got to school and everyone was talking twice as much as they usually do. I had a bad yet exciting feeling. After all the commotion went down, I was right.

"Class, we have a new student today. His name is…"

"Dustin, nice to meet ya"

I felt like screaming. Everything was a little to weird for my understanding. He glanced around the room. I was pretty sure he didn't see me, because he sat in an empty chair across the room even though there was one right in front of me. Actually, I wasn't even sure it was him at this point. I forgot what he had looked like in my dreams. But now, I was staring at this unusual boy.

He had jet black hair, about an inch longer than Cody's. There was a bleached highlight on the left side.

He was wearing a black and white flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up half way. He was wearing red skinny jeans, which was kind of girly but it still fit him… Very good, by the way. And white converse. Words were sharpie-ed on them but from here I couldn't read them. I looked at his face again. He had faint freckles, and I could barely see, but his eyes were a dark brown, similar to mine, but brighter, and a tint of red.

He caught me looking and looked back me. He started the same thing as I was. He first looked at my shirt, then my legs, down to my shoes, and then back at my face. He smirked, and I blushed. I turned and faced the other way, acting like I was spaced out, yet I kept hoping he was looking at me, because my posture was purposely straight, and I was barely sucking in.

I felt stupid, but it's not like I was the only one doing it. All the other girls were trying to look as innocent as possible. I didn't have any intention to be like them so I gave up. I let out a sigh and slouched down in my chair, separating my legs more, but keeping the feet pigeon toed.

I started flipping my pencil around. I didn't hear a word the teacher said. For the first time ever, I wasn't paying attention. I wouldn't ever say I was rebel-material but I always thought about it. Being the badass of the school. It would be even cooler because I was a girl. I then noticed that lately I stopped caring about school work.

I kept staring at the wall until class was over. I slumped out of my chair and got up, heading for the next class. This girl name Gabrielle walked up behind me. Her hair was even longer than mine, always shiny, in a good way, of course. She was really skinny, always wearing tight black shirts with black pants. Black vans, too. Always had black finger nail polish on. She kind of seemed like she could've been the badass, but she was actually really nice.

"Hey, do you know the new kid?"

"No, why, do you?"

"Well, no, I was just wondering because I caught you two looking deeply into each other's eyes"

"Oh, we were just looking at each other, nothing more… Yea, I don't know him. So it gives me no advantage, if you were worried or anything. Do you like him?"

"Considering I know nothing about him, no I don't."

"Oh, okay"

"Yea"

She walked ahead of me, and started talking with one of her closer friends. We got in class and everyone was trying to sit by Dustin. I avoided all of that and sat in the back.

"Hmmm…. Not straightforward I see, I like that"

I didn't get who he was talking to but I ignored him, just in case he wasn't, I wasn't going to say 'What?' and make a fool out of myself. He walked up to me.

"Why aren't you talking to me?"

"Give me a reason to and I will…. Even though it would be a waste of time"

"Oh so you're a girl who downs themselves a lot, expecting compliments"

"If you're just going to judge me by a simple conversation, I don't want anything to do with you"

"Well, by doing that, I'm giving you more to talk about… and I'm learning about you… I'm guessing you have a sharp tongue?"

"… Seriously, turn around and go talk to one of the girls who can make you feel special... _Trust me, they're good at it_."

"Excuses… I mean, so far, you're the most interesting person I've met"

"Class is starting."

He laughed and went back to the seat he was assigned. We had a test and I already studied it so it was no sweat for me. Being the first one done, the teacher gave me a bunch of things to do. One of those things was to take a big cardboard box filled with paper out to a recycle bin. He handed it to me, saying it was heavy. I kind of was, and I was having a hard time holding it.

Dustin stood up and handed the teacher his test. "I can help if you want"

The teacher sent us off with the box. While walking to the recycle bin, Dustin just took the whole box out of my hands and held it with no effort. _Show off_.

"So, tell me about yourself"

I hesitated, and then answered. "Like, what do you mean?"

"Personality… Hobbies…. Bra-size"

"DUDE!" I started laughing. After that I looked back at him, still chuckling a little. His stare was dead serious.

"What?"

"I'm guess somewhere around a C?"

MY face probably showed disgust. "I'm not telling you…. Why don't we talk about you instead?"

"Okay… Wanna know what color my boxers are?"

I began laughing again. "HAHA… No… They're probably like black or something like that."

"If you don't want to know, then why are you thinking about it?"

"I'm not"

"Now you are, because I mentioned it."

"Oh shut up"

We started laughing together. Silence lingered after.

"No but seriously… Are you like a C… 34?"

I didn't want to tell him, but he was right. "Why should I tell you?"

"Tell me or I'll figure out myself"

"Okay it's your first day at this school and you're already trying to get somewhere, that's sad…hahaha"

He laughed a little. We dumped the paper into the bin. He set the cardboard box down and turned towards me. "What?" was all I could say before he jumped on me.

"Hey. Dude, get off… If we are gone too long the teacher will wonder."

"We'll think of something"

He flipped me over and lifted the back of my shirt all the way up. "Yup, I was right. C-34"

He didn't get off of me. Instead, he started running his finger up and down my back.

Out of instinct, I yelled "Cody, stop!" I then gasped and stop fidgeting. So did he.

Dustin got off of me and stood up, picking me up with him. "So there is someone else."

"Well… Not really… It's just… Complicated. Not worth telling"

"Okay, I understand."

We walked back to class and the teacher asked what took us so long. I just said I was showing Dustin around school, and the teacher let us go back to our desks. The rest of the day, we just talked. After that, Dustin was the only one I hung out with at school. After a week of walking home together, I finally told him about everything that happened with Cody, hoping he would give me some advice. He did.

One day, after school, we started walking towards his home first. We usually go in the direction for my house first, but today was Friday, and I had more time to kill. We started talking about the school and the unfair-ness about it. After a while of laughing, we were interrupted.

"Hey, Kenzie! I went to your house and you weren't there. So I started walking towards your school and yea… I found you… And him."

"Kenzie, is this Cody?"

"Yes"

"Kenzie, who is this guy? A friend? Or your boyfriend?"

"Look dude don't pressure her-"

"Oh so all the sudden you're the one protecting her? Let's see if you're manly enough to be-"

"ENOUGH! Cody, not everywhere you go is a place to start a fight. I know there is a mature and logical way we can get through this. His name is Dustin, he is a friend. He makes me happy. Funny, actually. When you're supposed to be my most important. When's the last time you made me laugh? Agh, never mind. Well, now you know him. No quarrelling."

"No, continue. And, speaking of last times, I did."

"Did what?"

"Found someone who can actually give me what I want. Her name is Lisa"

Just then, I felt my heart drop. I didn't want to believe what he was saying.

"Is this true?"

"Yup. She's a really good kisser. You should meet her sometime."

Dustin shot a glance at me and noticed my situation. He turned to Cody and scowled. "Despicable."

Dustin grabbed my hand, and as soon as he did so, I started crying. I didn't want to, but I just did. Cody looked at me shocked. Dustin walked past Cody and purposely nudged him. As he was beside me, I whispered…

"I'm sorry…"

* * *

Good? Yes/No? Give a review so I know! 'Cause I really need to know. And hey, if you know a friend who might be interested in a story like this please tell them, because my mane priority is for people to read and tell me what they think. No, I'm not trying to be the one with the most popular story but trust me, that would be a miracle. lol, Well.. Hope you enjoyed it. And I really hope you won't have to wait long for the next chapter.(: Oh and in this chapter, it's a little more supernatural. DO you guys think that's okay? or steering away from the original story line. Please comment and tell me what you think!~


	16. Thoughts

We were just sitting there, silent in Dustin's room. I already looked at everything in there at least three times. The walls were a dark green. His dresser was black, along with his bed and bed sheets. There were band poster tilted everywhere on the walls. Slipknot, Bring Me The Horizon, My Chemical Romance, and Fall Out Boy.

He broke the silence, yet very hesitantly.

"Sooo um…. Need a hug?"

"Why would I need a hug?"

"Oh, don't try to lie to me, I saw your face back there. Why don't you let anyone comfort you? So secretive."

"Simple. If I give in and allow people to console me and cheer me up, I'll get used to it, and pretty soon, I'll end up expecting it."

"But if you keep letting things go as if there nothing you will have to deal with serious stress, and a lot of regret when you get older. And if it builds up so much to where life is not worth bearing, you might do worse than just hurt yourself mentally."

"Trust me, relationships, what us armatures call 'love,' is pitiful. Heartbreak over such a thing is sad. And plus, we're so young. So we shouldn't act like it's all that bad. See, this is why I hate drama."

"Huh. So I'm guessing it's a no on the hug."

"I don't think you're trying to hug me for my behalf"

We started laughing, but only for a short while. I scooted closer to him and leaned on his shoulder.

"Dustin, I only cry at times when no one can hold me, so I don't make anyone worry."

"It really hurts me to say this but I want you to cry right now. You need to let it out."

He position us to where we were somewhat cuddling. He scuffled my head into his chest. I never noticed before, but he always wore cologne around me. It smelled really nice. He started stroking my hair. At first, I thought I was imagining it, but I heard him singing.

He was singing a very slow version of "Without You," the song that played on the Ferris wheel. I absolutely couldn't help it. I started balling before he was even done with the first verse.

"Why does everything have to be turned against me… *Hic*…. I…. It's not fair…. I… I dun wanna deserve any of this… I can… *Hic*…. I can't take it."

"Shhhh, don't talk, just cry. It's okay. With every action comes an equal and opposite reaction. Once you're done crying, I'm sure you'll feel better."

He stopped singing and started humming gently. That along with my weeping faded out slowly together. He was hugging me long after I stopped crying completely… And long after I fell asleep. I noticed this because when I woke up it looked a lot darker outside. I gently slipped out of his grasp and stood up.

"Dustin, thanks for this, I guess I needed it. I'd stay longer but it's getting late… And, yea"

I gestured to the clock that read eight twenty seven on top of his dresser. He looked at me, and then stood up.

"Uhhh… Well, I had fun today…. Other than the whole Cody thing. But I guess that gave me a good excuse to hug y…. Um, see you tomorrow?"

"Yea, tomorrow, I guess"

I grabbed my bag and headed out the door. I got home around nine and as soon as I got into my room, I grabbed cat foot out of the mini fridge and filled the bowl. As soon as my body hit my bed, I was asleep.

Dustin's P.O.V.

I didn't really know how to soothe her, so I sang a song that always made me emotional. I heard her start to cry and held her a little closer to my chest. I felt like her boyfriend at the time. _Of course, I'm not her boyfriend but Y'know, what if I was, what difference would it make… I mean, sure we'd do this more often and maybe even… Agh now I can't stop thinking about it… Okay, stay cool…. Keep singing… Gently… Gently…_

While I was desperately trying not to get the words wrong, yet still trying to sound like a good singer, she interrupted my thoughts.

"Why does everything have to be turned against me… *Hic*…. I…. It's not fair…. I… I dun wanna deserve any of this… I can… *Hic*…. I can't take it."

The way she said it made me feel like crying along with her. I had to think of something smart that would comfort her and not make her complain more.

"Shhhh, don't talk, just cry. It's okay. With every action comes an equal and opposite reaction. Once you're done crying, I'm sure you'll feel better."

_Yes. That's smart, right? Or am I trying too hard. Or not too much. Do I sound cheesy? Oh my god… Okay what now… Oh shit, the song. Okay, where was I… Oh screw it, I'll just start humming the rest, maybe she won't notice._

After a while, she stopped crying. I looked down at her to see if she was okay. She ended up falling asleep on me. At first, I wanted to wake her, but after a while of awkward silence, I decided not to.

I just starred at her face. With my loose hand, I gently pushed her bangs out of her face. I felt my heart beat rise and my chest getting warm. I was so captivated by her beauty.

_Look at those lips, those perfect little lips. If I wasn't so skeptical, I would kiss those perfect lips and soil them with my ignorance. And her cheeks. As soft as silk, and very tempting to hold. When I manage to break my eyes from her magnificent face, my sight is locked on her figure. The curves are what every man wants. Dreaming to slide his hands down to sides. What am I thinking…. I need to behave my mind._

To me, Kenzie could never stay just a friend. Sooner or later I knew that I had to tell her my feelings. I can't just torture myself this way. I wanted to have the permission to protect her. To be able to stand in between her and any man just to stay that she belongs to me. From the first day I met her, I knew she was fragile.

Somewhere along the line of daydreaming peacefully, I heard Kenzie yawn and watched her open her eyes. She looked at my clock, then out the window. After she noticed what time it was, she got up from where she was sitting

"Dustin, thanks for this, I guess I needed it. I'd stay longer but it's getting late… And, yea"

I stood up and smiled at her.

"Uhhh… Well, I had fun today…. Other than the whole Cody thing. But I guess that gave me a good excuse to hug y…. Um, see you tomorrow?

I wanted to say something a little more in the romance category but Kenzie might have been weird-ed out.

"Yea, tomorrow, I guess"

She grabbed her bags and left silently. I heard to door close and I slumped back onto my bed. I looked down at my shirt, held it up to my face and smelt it. I know, it sounds weird, but it smelled like Kenzie. Like fresh air mixed with a hint of innocence. If only I had the guts to tell her. Her sweet aroma started filling my room. I couldn't help but get mad at myself somehow, yet I was still childishly smiling with bright red cheeks.

I felt childish, too. I haven't had this big of a crush since Kindergarten.

I lay down and stared at my sealing. All I could do was think about seeing her the next day. I counted the hours it would take until I could breathe the same air as her. My thoughts began to be so corrupted with Kenzie that it was almost unbearable.

I had a feeling that it wasn't quiet love, yet just a major crush. I started making a plan of how I would tell her. I went on about whether I should just say it as if it were a casual topic, or bring it up when everything is silent and it's just he two of us. In the end, I just decided that I should keep it a secret.

I fell asleep, awaiting what was going to happen the next day

eHHehen


	17. Deals

I woke up a little late the next morning. Well, not late but not as early as I usually get up. The only way I could think of waking myself up was to rip my blankets off of me and rolled off my bed. With a thump, I was up again and putting on makeup. I put my hair up in a pony-tail, threw on some skinnies, and a black long sleeve shirt on.

Right before I grabbed my bag to leave, I stop and stared at myself in the mirror. I remembered what Cody had said to me yesterday. What was her name…? Lilly? No, Lisa. I was debating whether I should actually believe him or not. I knew that I didn't want to.

I wanted to see him and talk it over properly. I ran to school, because I knew walking would give me too much time to think, and I would probably be late anyway.

Once I got to school the first person I wanted to talk to was Jake. I had a feeling he knew what Cody's number was. I found him somewhere in the halls after first period.

"Hey! Jake, can I ask you a question?"

"Well, considering what you just said _was _a question, I didn't really have a choice there, did I?"

"Look, I'm not in the mood"

"Geez, what do you want"

"Do you know Cody's number? And if so can I know it? Like, now?"

"Yea sure"

He grabbed a piece of paper and I handed him a pencil. He wrote down 10 digits and handed the paper to me.

"Now, you sure this is his number and not some hot-line?"

"Yes, god"

I turned around and started heading for the next class. I felt someone grab my arm and jerked away. I looked and saw Dustin, shocked.

"What's your problem?"  
"Nothing, just…. I'm mad, yet anxious."  
"About what?"  
"Well, when I get home, I plan on calling Cody and talking it over."  
"Don't"  
"Why….not?"

"Look, Kenzie. I don't know if you've noticed what that guy does to you, but it's not good. Maybe you're just too sucked up into your own little world that you don't realize that your feelings for him are fake."

"You of all people shouldn't say that to me! You don't know what or how I feel about anyone!"

"Just listen to me okay?"

I shut up and looked at him with a straight face.

"He, Cody, is bad news. But you won't let that in. You won't believe that by choice. In there, you pretend that there's nothing wrong. You don't love him; you pity him for playing you. Look, you may not even believe me because of it but seriously, these things happen all the time. It's just, the more you think about it, the more you're convinced that you like him. I bet you if you could stop thinking about him for at least two freaking weeks, you wouldn't care much for him anymore."

"And what makes you say that. Why… Why would you waste your time and try to tell me something you know I'm not going to believe?"

"You may not believe it now, but you're going to think about it more and more when you think about him. It's true, all of it. I'm saying it now because I don't want it to get any worse. He wants you to call him, that's his whole trap. He told you that, hoping you would get jealous. Don't give him the time of day. Fall in love with someone else"

"Oh… So this is what this is all about. You're trying to persuade me to dislike him, just so I can crawl to you, right?"

"Kenzie, would you actually start to think about what you say before you say it? God dammit! I mean, yea, I am better for you than that jerk, but I'm not going to force you to have biased thoughts about it."

"Then what are you doing now?"

"I'm….. Mackenzie, I just want you to be happy. You might be smiling and laughing with your friends. You might seem like you can stand up for yourself. You might seem perfectly fine. But really, deep down. You are so torn up that you don't even know which direction to look in. I don't want that for you. It's just…. You don't deserve it."

I couldn't believe my eyes. With an expressionless face, Dustin had tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Dustin…. I'm… I'm sorry…. Please don't cry…"

I tried so hard to hold it in. I had makeup on, I was at school, and I couldn't show it. I couldn't show my weak side.

"Kenzie… You might trust Cody now. You might trust him more than you trust me. Laugh with me, and you'll be dead to him. Beat me up, tear me down, and Rip me up to shreds. And I'll still be here for you. Just… Don't let him in."

Dustin walked past me into the classroom. Nudging my shoulder on the way, leaving me with all the guilt. I looked down at the paper in my hands. I crushed it and walked out the doors. I threw it on the ground and left it. I headed back for… Somewhere. I wasn't going to go back to that house.

I knew where to go. I headed for the riverbank. I walked the whole way there, thinking about what could've happened. What could've happened if Dustin weren't there. What could've happened if I wasn't so good at hiding it. What would've happened…

When I got there, the wind was blowing a little harder than usual. I let my hair down so it could flow just like the first time I was here. I closed my eyes. I felt the warm tears run down my face along with my makeup. I slowly sunk to the ground and started crying more loudly. With my arms on my knees and my head in my arms, I was hopeless. I felt so shamed about everything.

I didn't want to leave school, but I didn't want to lose my solid reputation, which was quiet pathetic. I started thinking about my mom. I then heard, in the same faint whisper as the first time I was here.

"Don't cry mommy. Please don't cry"

This time the voice was more distinguishable. It was my voice. I remember exactly when I said it.

Dad was in the hospital bed. Mom was sitting in a chair next to him. I was the only one breaking the sweet, miserable silence of mom's tears. I never wanted her to cry at the time, but I knew she couldn't help it. At that time, my dad was still alive. He was sleeping, and we had just got the new that he would die in a few days.

Now that I think about it now, "it's okay" was the worst thing I could've said. Even though, I kept repeating the words my head. Louder and louder, until… They were outside of my thoughts.

"It's okay"

I opened my eyes, expecting to see someone standing in front of me. I didn't, and was somewhat relieved.

"Fly away with me."

The sound came from behind this time. I turned around to see him. Just the person I didn't know if I wanted to see or not. He walked over and sat down next to me.

"Day dreaming much?"

"Cody, tell me, was the whole thing about Lisa true?"

I didn't bother to remove the hair from my face, and showing him the black lines forming down my face.

"Well, most of it. Lisa is a new kid at our school. She asked me out a week ago and I said yes. I thought that if I started thinking about her only I'd fall in love again. I guess It just doesn't work that way."

Cody looked up at the sky and started chuckling to himself.

"So what's Lisa like? Is she pretty?"

"Well, for her appearance, she has short dirty-blonde hair. Her eyes are a Cyan color. I think she's about 5'2. She looks like she weighs around a hundred pounds. Oh and she has freckles."

"She sounds pretty."

"She is… But only when you're not comparing her to people. Her personality is inqusitive. You couldn't say anything without her knowing all the details. She's constantly laughing. She always thinks of others first. She's just great to be around. I mean, she's funny, cheerful, and amusing."

"Have you told her about me?"

"I tried not to, but your name happened to have slipped out when we were talking to Jewel. She started asking who you were like and whatnot"

"What did you tell her? Be honest."

"Well, I told her that you were this one girl. This one girl who stood out the most in my world. And right when I had her at my fingertips, she just walked out, and disappeared. Her personality is somewhat indescribable. I can say that she has a lot of patience. She's very tolerant. Everything she does made it seem like she was a goddess. Everything was so graceful. She would always go out of her way to make your day better, even when she can't do so for herself. She was also very wise."

"Appearance?"

"I said her appearance was indistinguishable from that of an angel. Her eyes are a deep hypnotic brown, which shows pure elegancy. Her hair is the same. When she lets it down, it flows as if spirits are playing with it ever so gently. She's around 5'3, which is the perfect height in my opinion. She has a curvy yet fragile body. And her smile. Some days, it's rare, and some days, it's not. But when it happens, you feel like you have just done something amazing in order to see it. She has the cutest laugh ever. And really, I wish I could keep her all to myself."

"Did you… Really say that about me?"

"Why, is it too much?"

"Eheh… No, not at all. Thank you…. Y'know, Cody… I've been thinking about what you said. Not recently but when we were at the carnival. If you do decide on running away, maybe you should choose someone like Lisa to do it with. I'm not one who can just do that. It would be threatening to all my family members."

"Sooo… You're not saying you don't want to, but you can't. Kenzie. Sometimes, you need to escape your fate. I'm not trying to pressure you, even though I most likely am right now. One week from now. I want you to decide whether you want to leave or not. If you do, meet with me here. It doesn't matter what time; I'll be waiting all day and night. Today's Friday so it would give you more time next week. Anyway, as soon as the clock hits twelve a.m., and you're not there, I'll leave without you."

Cody leaned over and kissed my head. He stood up and started walking away. I wondered what I was going to do. I didn't just want to leave him there alone. I loved him. _He's probably just going to take Lisa if I'm not there. He's probably have more fun if it were Lisa anyway. I wonder if he will fall in love with her. _

The thought killed me inside. It wasn't the only unpleasant thought that happened to be going through my messed up head. I wondered whether or not Dustin would care. He said he wanted what's best for me.

Eventually, I left and headed back home after school was over. Instead of going to the house, I went to Dustin's place.

We met up at his door. He looked my way. Not at me, just in my direction.

"Yes?"  
"I want to talk…"  
"About?"  
"…Cody…"

He opened the door and walked into the hall his room was in. I followed him. He threw his back-pack onto the floor harshly. Without turning around, he snapped at me.

"So?"

"Well, I saw him today. It wasn't planned, but he happened to be where I was. Coincidence, I assume. We talked about some things."

"What kind of things."

"Like, a week from now he will be at that same place, expecting me to be there too, so we can run away."

"I won't allow it."

"Well, I didn't ask for your permission and I haven't even decided if I should go or not. That's why I'm here."

"So you can get me to encourage you to go?"

"No… Well…. I don't really know."

He turned around and looked at me. By his face, I could tell that he had been crying. He rushed over and threw his arms around me.

"Then don't go. If you're not certain, then don't go. You would make a mistake if you did."

"What mistake?"

"I wouldn't be able to see you. I wouldn't be able to tell if you were safe or not. I'd always be worrying. I wouldn't be able to stay by your side and protect you."

"That's the whole point of Cody being there."

"Kenzie, you need me, not him. You've already had a taste of him. His personality is deceiving, untrustworthy, and fake. I can actually care for you."

"Why does it feel like I'm in the middle of the Twilight saga. Look, stop with this nonsense."

He let go of me and took a step back.

"Okay, how about this. I'll let you go, only if I can come with you."

"No. You can't throw everything away."

"You're one to talk"

"The more you talk like that to me, the more I want to leave."

"Kenz, let's just stop talking about that for now."

I gave him an okay, sorry look and sat down on his bed. He sat down beside me.

"You ever stop and name some random people, and then think about how it would be to live with them for the rest of your life?"

"Sometimes, why, do you?"

"All the time… Except recently, I can only think of you and me. Look, don't take this the wrong way. But Kenzie, I really like you. I don't want you to leave my side."

I looked up at his face, and he was staring at me, slightly smiling. It faded a little after a while.

"Do you like me?"  
"I can't say that I don't. But I've never really thought of it. Sorry."  
"Then I guess there's only one way to find out."  
"And that is?"  
"To hold your hand to see if you smile. To kiss you to see if you blush and whatnot"

I scooted closer and held his hand out. I slowly picked mine up from beside my leg and lay it on top of his. Our fingers entwined and I was holding back a smile. I looked up and again, he was staring at me. I couldn't help but letting out a little chuckle and smiling. His face showed accomplishment.

He let go of my hand and put his arm around the middle of my back, positioning me to where our bodies were facing each other. Everything was silent for a few moments. We were both looking at each other's lips. Slowly, we leaned closer to each other. Our lips met. We didn't stop. I lifted my hand and held it behind his head, scuffled into his hair. His hand ran up my cheek, down to the back of my neck.

I leaned back until I was lying down. We continued kissing. Both of his hands were running down my back, slightly picking me up. It went on for about ten minutes, until we found our self's looking deeply into each other's eyes, both very satisfied.

I slid out from under him, grabbed my bag and headed for the door.

"Wait! You can't just leave after something like that happened."

"Look, Dustin. It's obvious that I like you after such a thing, but I don't want to get myself into something like this again. It's just…."

"Be my girlfriend. I'll show you that being in a relationship isn't all that bad."

"I…"

"Here, we can go out for one week, and then by the time you're going to leave with Cody, you can decide. Me or him. Whaddya say?"

"Okay, deal."

"Then it's official. Kenzie, you got yourself a boyfriend."

I laughed and turned around.

"Hey, you have to give me a goodbye kiss, duh."

I then turned around again, walked up to him, and gave him a peck. He hugged while saying "Be safe."

I left and headed for the house. All the while thinking about the next week and smiling profusely…. I wasn't at all prepared.

* * *

WHY haven't I gotten any reviews. I mean, i don't want to force you but COME ON. I don't even know if the storyline is all that good anymore. And I know people are still reading it. Please, tell me what you think. It's not like you're going to lose anything in the process, just a minute or two. Just do it, I tripple-doggie-with-a-rainbow-hat-on-dare you to do it. (: Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it!


	18. The Unexpected

My weekend was full of homework that I had to catch up on. Nothing happened. No one came over. When I woke up on Monday, I wasn't much tired. I was more excited in a way. I put on a blue tee and plaid shorts, put some makeup on and left for school. I felt happy so I decided to run. Running kind of calms me down, in some ways. When I got to school, I found my locker and quickly shoved my stuff in there. I then walked to class, trying to be cool.

Right before I entered the room, Dustin caught up with me. I knew it was Dustin because he turned me around, and kissed me on the forehead. Out of shock, I became flustered and flinched.

"Too much of an approach?"

"Yea, just a little."

We walked into class and sat by each other. Gabrielle surprisingly took the seat on the other side of me. She looked at me, leaned forward and looked at Dustin, then looked at me again.

"Mind if I ask what just happened at the doorway? I thought you guys were just friends."

I blushed and smiled. Not wanting to show my smile, I covered my mouth. Gabrielle looked bewildered.

"Um… We're…-"

"Dating"

I turned around and looked at Dustin. He was obviously proud of the fact. I chuckled a little and looked at my desk, again, embarrassed. Gabrielle just laughed and faced towards the front of the room.

That class went by pretty smoothly…. And the next… And, the next. So far, the day was going by really fast. Right about now, it was lunch time. Gabrielle and I started walking to the cafeteria together; sharing a lot of stuff we have in common. After the casual conversation lingered on, she stopped and looked at me.

"Y'know, Kenzie. I think Dustin was a good decision for you. Just this morning I've seen you smile more than I have this past month. Plus I really think he actually likes you. Hopefully you guys can stay together."

"Uh, yea, thanks… I guess."

I didn't have much to say, so I just blushed and kept walking. I sat down at a table as she went to go get her food. Dustin walked by and sat next to me. Very close.

"Why aren't you eating?"

"Well, I guess I'm not as hungry as I usually am."

"M'kay, well if you think it's because your fat, then you should eat a ton before that's true."

"I'll… Just take that as a compliment… Eheh"

"So, how did your weekend go?"

"It was… Decent. I had to catch up on a lot of homework. Now that I'm barely paying attention in class, I'm not really getting how to do stuff."

"Well, I can help you if you want. Maybe you can come over after school and we'll study."

"Maybe."

"Hey, Kenzie, please don't be hesitant. Both you and I know that you like me. At least act like you're my girlfriend, okay?"

"I'm sorry; I just have a lot on my mind."

The bell rang. Dustin got up before me, took my hand, and led me to the classroom. As we walked up to the door, Dustin stopped me and turned me around.

"Kiss me."

I started blushing profusely. I panicked and started looking everywhere else but him. He put his hand on my cheek and held my head up towards him. Right before locking our lips, he mumbled, "You're too cute"

We then walked into the classroom. Him, acting like nothing had happened. Me, breathing heavily, slightly laughing, smiling from ear to ear, acting like I was drunk.

Class went by quickly. No one looked at me suspiciously, although they might think that I'm a weirdo now. On my way out Jake stopped me. I gave him a curious look and asked him what was up.

"So you and Dustin huh? I noticed you guys kissing before class."

I chuckled a little and looked down.

"Hey hey, no need to be embarrassed. It's only natural to have that kind of face."

I looked up at him and he smirked. Being inquisitive, I asked him what made him stop me and what his real motive were, and of course, what he had ate for breakfast this morning.

"Ahaha, you're weird. Let's see, well. I want to talk about Cody. And I was pretty much leading to that before you rudely interrupted me. For breakfast? I had pop tarts with a glass of milk."

"Oh…. Well. What about Cody?"

Right when I saw his lips move, Dustin swooped by and took my hand.

"What were you doing? We're gonna be late for class."

"Don't worry, we were just talking."

"Well, I saw you giggling and I got worried. I don't want you making those kinds of faces in front of other guys."

"Why?"

"…I also heard _his_ name."

"We didn't even talk about him. His name just happened to show up because Jake is his cousin."

"….I see…. I don't want Cody persuading you to go, okay?"

"Sorry"

We got to the next class, learned, left, next class….and on. We didn't talk much. It was the end of the day and I was getting my things. Dustin showed up when I was halfway out the doors.

"We walking home together?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, I can't. I gotta visit my mom."

"Can I come? You can introduce me as your boyfriend."

"Yea, I'm sorry. I kind of just want to be alone with her."

When we got to the point where we had to part ways, we stopped and looked at each other.

"Hey, I'm sorry about today. I promise tomorrow I won't be that spaced out"

"No prob. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable or anything."

We got closer, close our eyes, and kissed. It lasted around five seconds. "Be careful" he whispered as he turned the other way and started walking down the road. I watched him for a little but then turned my way.

I got to the hospital about twenty minutes afterwards. Once I opened the door to my mom's room, I had already forgotten half the things I wanted to say. Mom was just staring out the window, watching the trees move with the wind. "It's almost summer."

"Mom, I'm sorry I haven't gotten time to visit you. I feel like a bad daughter. Eheh."

"Oh honey don't think that. I know that you're probably busy with school and friends an-"

"That's not as important as you though. But I guess I came for a selfish reason anyway."

"You can tell me everything."

"I have to make a decision by the end of this week. And of course, it's between two boys. But it's kind of more serious than just who I like more. It's who I trust more with protecting me. See, in the back of my head, I feel like I know which one is the right choice. It's just that the other one, I've known for so long and it's hard to turn him down because I don't know what extent he would go to just to vent it. I don't want to feel guilty. I don't…."

My voice started getting raspy as tears were developing. I walked towards mom's bed, sat down, and leaned against her. She quietly put her arms around my back and head.

"I miss you so much…. I just *hic* want you back….I love you…so *hic* much."

"Honey please don't cry. If you cry, mommy will cry. I hate to see you sad. I miss you too baby girl. It's okay. Everything will turn out okay. If you have two things and you can only choose one, think back. Who made you feel more secure, more spoiled. More loved, less disrespected. And if thinking back on memories doesn't work. Let things progress their own way. Try imagining yourself in their position. What they would feel. Pretend you've already chosen one. Go a day thinking that. If you ever feel your heart drop like it doesn't belong there, chose again."

"Thanks mom… *hic*"

Mom just held me tighter. I relaxed, continuing to cry. I felt good, being in my mom's arms.

"I'm sorry mom. *hic*... I don't wanna give you any *hic* stress. I just want you to be happy…. I just want us to be *hic* happy…"

I felt drop on my head, and it made me cry more.

"Mom… *hic* Please don't be sad for my sake. Don't cry… Please *hic* don't cry. *hic*"

We just snuggled for a while. I felt her breathing go quieter and longer. I looked up at her and she was asleep. With my thumb, I wiped the last tear from her face. I slipped out of her arms and stood up. I leaned in and kissed her on the forehead.

"I love you mom."

She gave a faint smile, and I left. As I was walking back to the house, it got dark. Like I mentioned before, I wasn't afraid of the dark, but I had a different feeling that night. I felt paranoid from all the small noises going on around me. Every once in a while a bush would shake and I would jump.

After a long silence, I started hearing footsteps other than mine. I turned my head quickly to see what it was. All I saw was a black figure running towards me. With a thud, I hit the ground, being knocked out. Everything went black…


	19. Chaos

I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT!~ I'm not one to make excuses, but this is the very reason why you all had to wait so long for Chapter 19 in my wonderful story. :P

About a week or two ago, My computer died. Now, this wasn't so bad, considering I knew I could charge it. My charger at the time worked, but it would only charge my computer when it was off or hibernating, never when it was on. I plugged it in, and the red light went on, signaling that fact that it was charging. Since I had no intention to sit there and wait while watching my computer charge, I left the room to make use of the time I had before I was absorbed in finishing the chapter. An hour later, I came back into my room to see that it had stopped charging some time after I left. I took the charger out of the laptop and tried twisting it, because that usually worked.

Thinking I almost fixed it, I pulled on the end a little to see if it was secure, pulling it apart completely. (I didn't really think that one through) I threw most of the cord away, due to the fact that it was broken beyond repair. I opened my computer, and attempted to turn it on. Noticing it was still dead, I was furious and gave up. For the next week, I had to do all my internet needs on my ipod. Trust me, if I had Microsoft Word on my iPod, i would already have 19, 20, and maybe 21 all on here already. And now that I have a new Charger, thanks to my mom buying me a new one online, you can continue enjoying reading my story. Again, sorry for the inconvenience.

* * *

When I woke up, I was in a dark room. The kind of room you wake up in when you've been kidnapped. I was not in the mood for anything that might happen. Knowing that if I got kidnapped, they would be smart enough to bring weapons. Still, I had to make myself known.

"Who the HELL thinks they have the right to take me? Huh? No one? You bet your wussy asses you don't have the right. Come and get me if you object! I ain't afraid of you weirdo's"

I heard slow footsteps, and then barely, I started to see a figure form in front of me.

"Kenzie, tut tut. Didn't your mother tell you not to go out at night? Or is she too busy dying"

"You can't talk about my mother that way."

"Awe, so brave. What are you going to do? Hurt me?"

"Damn straight!"

"You should watch your language missy, you wouldn't want people to spread rumors about your parents, er, excuse me, _parent_"

I jumped up from where I was, knowing that my hands hand been tied, and lunged at him with as much power as I could. With my head, I hit him in the stomach, but he just threw me back on the ground.

"Don't bother little one."

"You talk big for a guy that takes children for a hobby. Why the hell did you take me anyway."

"Oh, I have my reasons."

"Well then tell me you jackass!"

"Feisty! Calm down or I might just leave you here."

AS he talked I scrambled my hands free from the ropes. I lifted off the ground again and threw my hands around his face. He fell to the ground, clawing to get me off. I managed to get his right arm under my knee before he punched me in the gut with the other. I started coughing up blood on his face.

"I said I'm not… Afraid of you…"

I struggled to keep my position on top, clenching my hands as tight as they could get. He kneed me and my hands let go. I threw my fist at his face a few times as he was yanking on my hair. I remembered the last fight I was in and thought of how I won. I then aimed for his throat, and at full speed, punched him.

He threw me off and started coughing. With my forearm, I wiped blood off of my face. I got up and started pacing around where I was to feel my surroundings. I felt a board on the wall and took it down. It was covering a window that viewed a big forest. I punched the window, breaking the glass. I almost had all of it out before the man came from behind and pulled me back.

I flew around and kicked him where it hurts. I turned for the window again and tried more punches. When there was a big enough hole for me to climb threw, I grabbed my bag that was on the floor and dove as fast as I could. The man grabbed my ankle right before I was all the way through. I felt a sharp pain in my leg, kept kicking and was free. I ran faster than anyone I even heard of. The adrenaline I had made me a worthy opponent for the hulk himself.

I got to the trees and kept running. When I had completely lost all energy in me, I turned around. I could see the small cabin I was in and felt scared. I threw my bag on my shoulder and took about six seven breaths with my bloody hands on my bruised knees, and then kept running. I started looking around, and noticed where I was.

It was Eversville. My sweet, humid, lovely Eversville. I could almost tell what mountain I was on. I saw the road and ran to it as fast as I possibly could. When I got there, I could have passed out from the exhaustion, but I was still skeptical of whether or not I was safe yet. I kept running down the road, and got to a place I had recognized. It was the road I took to go to school. I looked up at the sky. It looked around noon so I ran in the schools direction.

I was slowly loosing vision, but I knew I couldn't give up. When I saw the school I was crying. I knew if I got there the teachers would keep me safe. I ran and ran. Feeling as if there was a trail of dust behind me. I got to a door in the school and swung it open. Everyone that was in that hall turned and looked at me. Their eyes were glued to me legs and hands. I forgot about my injuries and kept walking.

I walked into a classroom. The closest classroom to me was Sandra's. I opened the door and felt every ones stare. "….Kenzie?"

"I'm really sorry to interrupt your class but I need to talk to you, should we go outside?"

Her face was pure white, as if I was her worst nightmare. As I turned when I was walking out of the classroom I saw a few people. Jewel, Hunter, Dana, …Cody… A girl I didn't know was sitting next to him, so I figured it was Lisa. I and he locked eyes. I gave everyone a smile before I left.

"What is this about? I thought you didn't live near here anymore. And what in god's name happened to you?"

"I probably should've gone to the principal's office, but you were the closest adult. Look, long story short, I got kidnapped and escaped. I don't know if they're still after me and that's why I'm here."

"To bring danger to everyone here? Did you even think that through? I mean, there should be a police station somewhere, but a school?"

"You know what, you're right. I'm sorry."

I started to turn for the hall when I heard a window smash somewhere else. I looked back at Sandra quickly. We both heard a scream and ran back into her classroom. While holding her arm around me, she locked the door. She looked down at me and whispered. "Shades."

I ran over to them and pulled each one down and looked at her.

"Okay, kids, stay calm. I ne-"

Her phone started ringing and she answered. We all heard the fatal words, "Get the kids out of the classroom now."

She gathered them up and walked out the door. I started walking the other way.

"Kenzie? What are you doing, get over here! Now!"

"They're here because of me. If I could get my way out of it before, I can do it again."

"Look in a mirror, you barely made it!"

"Just get the kids out of here."

"Kenzie. Right now is NOT the time to be a her-"

More screams. I turned around and saw him. There was a bunch of people behind him. None of them had guns. I turned to look at my teacher. "Run"

She was hesitant at first, but made her way out of the class. When everyone was outside, they stopped and turned around to watch.

"Come one you sons o' bitches. Whaddya want now."

"You."

I threw my bag from around my shoulder to the floor and got in position. The man started walking towards me. He extended his arm towards me. I grabbed it, pulled it, and then banged my head against his. He stepped back a few times and turned around.

"Get her for me, will ya?"

"Bring it ON!"

Four of them started coming at me. I kicked the first one right in the shin. Second one came from behind and grabbed an arm. With the other, I swung at him. He grabbed a knife out of his pocket and held it up to my neck.

"What, did you think we would come unprepared?"

"Like hell. Keep your asses out of my god damn business."

"Oh but we can't do that. You are a very rare being"

"That doesn't mean I'm the only one."

I swung my leg up, then back and hit the second guy in the knee. He managed to cut my neck and shoulder before wilting to the ground. I winced. The smell of blood was making me nauseous.

I started getting light-headed. Before I could blink, I was falling to the ground. I heard the door open from behind me. Cody rushed to my side.

"It's okay, you'll be fine. Sandra running to the principal's office right now. Just hang in there; I'm sure they'll call someone."

"Who's this now? Her prince?"

"Would you shut the hell up? I'm trying to help a woman in need. God damn."

I laughed, and coughed up blood. "Too much… There's too much blood."

Cody put one of his arms under my leg and the other under my neck.

"Ah ah ah, where do you think you're going with that?"

"Well obviously you don't seem to care so just leave me be."

"Ugh, get rid of him."

Guy number 2 came running at his back with the knife. I got up from the ground and with the rest of my strength, pushed Cody out of the way, taking the blow. Cody looked back at me and his face showed anger. He jumped up to the ground and started beating guy number two. My eyes fluttered and I was knocked out.

…

I woke up in Kevin's house. Cody was sitting next to the bed I was in. His head was down, and he was snoring. I smiled. I looked at the bedroom door as it opened slowly. Kevin walked in with my boyfriend waddling behind him.

"The kid wouldn't stop bugging me when I went to the school to get your homework, so I just decided to bring 'im."

Dustin looked at Cody, then at me.

"Please tell me he has nothing to do with this."

"Actually, sorry to cut in but this kid saved Kenzie's life."

"AH. Kevin, I don't want Dustin to know about it yet… I can tell him some other time."

"Okay then, I understand."

"I'm so confused. This is wayyy too dramatic!"

I put my face in my palms and noticed they were wrapped up. I then lifted the sheets off of my bed my knee, ankle, and shin were all wrapped up as well. I then felt the bandage on my neck and shoulder.

"You should probably get some more sleep. You lost a lot of blood yesterday, and I think you need some peace."

I lay back down gently, and pulled the covers over me. "Not once again do I ever want this to happen."

I slept for hours. When I woke, no one was there. I slumped out of the bed and walked into Kevin's kitchen. The time on the microwave said "9:27." I opened the fridge and grabbed the milk jug. I set it on a counter and walked over to the dishwasher. I opened it and grabbed a glass. I poured the milk in and put the jug back in the fridge.

I leaned over the counter and started drinking. Too much stuff was running threw my head. The big thing that kept coming back was "… You are a very rare being…"

I wondered what they meant by that. I wondered what happened after I passed out. I wondered about what was going to happen.

I finished the milk and went back into the bedroom. I fell asleep, worried about how Mizu was doing.

When I woke up, it was early, and I left. The walk from Kevin's to Josh and Hidey's wasn't too long. When I got there the first thing I did was make sure that there was food in Mizu's bowl. I saw her witting on my pillow. As soon as our eyes met, she started meowing. I walked over and sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry; you must've been so lonely. Don't worry; I'll make sure nothing that crazy ever happens again."

I walked upstairs into the living room. Josh was sitting on his lazy-boy. The kids were in their rooms. Hidey was out shopping. I looked into the kitchen at their calendar that was up on the refrigerator door. It was Wednesday.

I heard Josh sigh and I turned around. "You still have time to go to school, but I think you should stay home and rest a little."

"Are you, by any chance, worried about me?" I smirked.

"NO, I just don't want to have to go and pick you up if anything happened at school."

"Pff..'Course."

I walked back down to the basement. I curled up in a ball once I got into my bed and under the silky sheets. Since it was nearly summer, Josh had turned the furnace off, so it was cold, but still it was very refreshing.

I fell asleep with Mizu in my arms, for the first time in a while, I heard her purr. A dream had started to develop.

I was standing in the middle of a giant plane. The grass barely hit the top of my ankle and was swaying in the wind. It was really peaceful. It reminded me of the fields on the way back home from school In Eversville. Faintly, I began to hear laughter. Familiar voices crowded my ears. I turned to face all directions, looking for where the sounds were coming from.

Not being aware of it before, I looked up and noticed the sky was completely grey. I looked back at my feet. The grass was a darker shade of grey, making everything seem like it was stuck in a black and white setting. The wind grew harsher. My hair was whining as it threw itself back and forth. The laughing grew louder. I sat down in fetal position. I covered my ears with my hands and shut my eyes. I heard gentle footsteps.

All in the split second of opening my eyes, everything stopped. The wind calmed down, the colors turned back into the overly-saturated green and blue that they were. I looked up to see Jewel.

She knelt down in front of me, and slowly extended her hand out. I grabbed it as she smiled. We both stood up. She went to my side to show me that people were behind her. Dana, Hunter, Jade, Josi, and AJ. They all smiled and huddled around me.

I received some hugs before I noticed someone else was there. I turned around, and saw Cody. With open arms, he walked towards me and gave me the biggest, long-lasting hug. He picked me up and twirled me around. I hugged him back.

"HEY" came from behind me. I let go of Cody and turned around again. Dustin was standing there, isolated from all my old friends. Next to him stood Gabrielle. The look on their faces showed sorrow.

I knew what the dream meant. I had to choose. Sounds echoed in my head. My expressionless face was numb as tears rolled down my soft, pale cheeks. I hesitated to say something, but was breathless.

One by one, my friends were vanished along with the sweet, innocent sounds of laughter. At the end, when it was all over. It was as it began. I, once again, was alone. I called out, successfully making noise.

"Maria."

I woke up immediately, breathing heavily. I considered it to be somewhat of a nightmare. Mizu left my bed, frightened by my sudden actions….I laid my head back down and turned the other way. Once again, I was asleep. A black abyss was all that corrupted my mind for the rest of that curious night…


	20. Bike Ride

When I woke up, it was dark. I changed into a black All Time Low T-shirt, sky blue plaid shorts, and put on a large hoodie. I put on a pair of black converse and walked outside. The moon was crescent. The stars were sparkling like fireworks, only more graceful. I could tell that it was one in the morning.

I built up courage and left. I'd made sure Mizu had food in her bowl. Just enough food to last the day. I was heading for Dustin's house. The whole way there, I sung to myself a Japanese song over and over. It was called, "Still Doll."

Once I got there, I snuck around the house. I stopped at Dustin's window. His lights were still on. But he was asleep. I stopped and stared at his sleeping face.

_The way his ash-colored hair swayed over his eyes. His almost un-noticeable freckles that scattered across his cheeks._ _His lips, oh his lips that are so desirable. His arms that are perfect for protecting. His hands that I would die to hold right now… UH!, what am I thinking? I feel like a total stalker…_

I tapped on the window a few times and saw him twitched. I tapped a little harder and he just stretched.  
_For cryin' out loud!_

I found a way to open his window, and wasn't hesitant to open it. Using my flexibility skills, I ninja-ed my way in there. Landing on his bed, he groaned and flipped a little, now lying on his back.

"…Hey….Hey Dustin…."

I poked him a few times, which resulted in him throwing his arm over me and pulling me closer to him. I tried to move out of his grasp but he had a tight grip. I started blushing profusely. His hand ran its way down my back, and then made its way back up from under my shirt. Failing at keeping it in, I yelped a little. My cheeks started hurting and I got that weird feeling again.

"D….Dustin…nnnn…. Wake… UP.."

With one hand on the middle of my back, the other hand ran a finger up my neck. I quivered.

"Are you… Even..nnn…. Sleepinnnng…?"

He pulled my head closer and put his lips up to my ear.

"No, I woke up as soon as I heard your voice."

I jumped a little. "Then…nn… Let me go…."

"I'm having too much fun."

He licked the side of my ear, and I… Well, I moaned.

He moved his leg in between mine.

"Look, this..ss… wasn't part of..ff… mm…my intennnntions."

"Oh so you _did_ have a plan?"  
"Yes."  
"Well?"  
"Stop for a second."

Dustin moved away.

"Dustin, you and me aren't going to school today."

"Wait, bu-"  
"We're going somewhere special instead. Do you have a bike?"  
"Well yea, bu-"  
"Okay then. Let's go."

Dustin started taking off his shirt. "Wait, hey, what are you doing?"

"Well, I at least want to look good. Unless, you want me to stay like this?"

I blushed and looked away. "Just, get dressed then."

He slipped on a black long sleeve shirt, under a red plaid button-up T-shirt. After that he put on deep blue baggy pants, and red and black converse. He looked up at me and spread his arms out in a 'Whaddya-think?' manner. I laughed and gave him thumbs up. He smiled and I blushed.

We snuck back out his window and got his bike from his garage. He hopped on it and looked back at me.

"So, get on. Oh and which direction are we going?"

As I was getting on I told him just to keep going up the road until it got light out then I would know which way we were supposed to go. He chuckled and told me to hold on as if we were on a motorcycle. I laughed at his childish actions.

We took off at a pretty fast speed, getting out of every ones view. Afterwards Dustin only peddled as fast as he needed to.

"Dustin, how long do you think this will last?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean everything. Our relationship, the whole thing with Cody, when my mom gets better…"

"Wait, when your mom gets better, are you moving back?"

"Most likely. There ain't no way in hell I'm stay with Josh's family."

Dustin just stopped talking for a while. I snuggled my head into his shoulder. It took a while for it to get bright, and when it did, Dustin and I switched places. He complained about how it looked weird for the girl to do the peddling and I just laughed and kept on going. Long silences lingered.

"So where are we goin' anyways?"

"You'll know when we get there."

Those were about the last words we said to each other before we stopped at a convenient store. I hopped off the bike and asked him if he wanted anything. Normally, I wouldn't be so prepared but half way up there I found some money in my pocket. That was probable the luckiest I've been since cat food at the other store was half off.

"Uh, I kind of want something to drink."

"Water?"

"More like Pepsi."

"Water is better for you. I'm getting a bottle of water to share. What about snacks?"

"Candy?"

"Okay so a bottle of water, and pretzels. Maybe a few Laffy Taffys."

Dustin started laughing. I walked into the store and got what I needed… And a few Laffy Taffys. When I walked up to the counter, the clerk as about what had happened to me. At first, I was confused, but then I noticed he was talking about all the bandages around me.

I looked at Dustin, standing in the doorway, listening to our conversation. I looked back at the clerk and slammed my arm down on the counter. In a scruffy voice, I said to him,

"Bears, about five of 'em. Only took me about ten minutes. Yea I know, pretty freakin' awesome, but I was raised by a family of ninjas. By now you might not believe me, but that's okay. 'Cause if you say a word to anyone about what I just told you, I'll get my whole family, and we'll track you down."

I gave him the money and he hesitantly gave me my change. I grabbed all my stuff and slowly stomped out the door. I looked back at him.

"You have yourself a nice day, Ted."

He looked down and saw that I had noticed his name tag. I turned around and got on the bike. Dustin was laughing his ass off looking at me. I smiled.

"I think you actually scared that guy, Kenz."

He continued to laugh as he got on the bike. I suggested that before we started munching, we would find a place to rest. I peddled for a while after that, then we switched. It was still pretty early when we got to a nice place to eat. It was a cemetery that I had been to before.

I forgot who I was there for, since it was so long ago. We found an old bench table to sit down at.

We opened the bag of pretzels, and started eating.

"Sorry, it's not much, but we're lucky I even had money in my pocket."

I looked at Dustin and noticed he was staring at me.

"I've been thinking about your question. I know for a fact that I can't answer it, but I'm curious too. It seems like all the bad stuff has passed, but you're like a drama-magnet."

"I know. I hate it. It's stuff like that that makes me wish I was back home, sitting on my bed, letting the sun lay on strips of my sheets, shining through the blinds on my run-down window. Listening to old rock from my static-y radio. Doing some sort of homework while Mizu just sleeps soundly on my pillow….Stuff…Like that.."

I looked down. Tears started dripping on the table.

"Why can't anything go right for me? I mean, yea it's bad to be selfish but I swear for the past year NOTHING has gone the way ANYONE would expect it to… At the starting, when I met Cody, I just thought everything was like a book, and I made fun of it because I was in love… I took everything for granted and this is how karma is getting to me…. Letting me live in a world full of fear…"

"Look that's not completely true. Kenzie, let me tell you, what you are doing is _anything_ BUT taking stuff for granted. No, I'm not saying this 'cause I like you, I'm saying it because I've been watching you. You put on an act like everything okay. It's like; you avoid your own reflection. I bet the only time you last looked in a mirror was for putting on makeup. I know, it's normal not to look in a mirror all the time but…"

"*hic* But what…*hic*"

"When I was young, whenever I cried my mom had me look in the mirror. I know, it sounds really silly but every time I looked at myself cry, I'd start laughing. I mean, yea most of it was because of my face. But other than that, I laughed at why I was crying. Now, your situation is far more serious than mine, but you've heard me say that quote, the one from Isaac, right?"

"With every action, come an equal and opposite reaction"

"Yea, exactly. And it's so true because every time I cried, it wouldn't take long before I was laughing again. Life is an emotional cycle hat repeats itself until you change it. And trust me, you, Kenzie, are very capable of changing the way you live. You're capable of so many things. Hell, you already ahead of your game by at least a mile."

I looked at him and smiled. After I smiled I started laughing. He smiled while he watched me laugh. I pretty much fell to the ground and laughed until my stomach hurt. I had no idea what exactly I was laughing about, but it went on for a while. I guess it was all coming back to me. Every little thing that made me laugh.

After I calmed myself down, we finished half of the pretzels and drank half of our water. Dustin was the one to peddle again. As I got on the back I wrapped my arms around him and held him close. We peddled for a few hours, yes, hours before we were close to our destination. Biking all the way here made me realize how close we were to Eversville. From this point on I could name every mountain and corner. Even the ones without names.

I told him to get off so I could peddle. We switched places, and out of excitement, I went as fast as I could on that worn down bike. By now I was halfway up the top of the road. THE road. Before it got too steep, I hopped off and so did Dustin. With the bike at our side, I ran and he followed.

We stopped. I dropped the bike. "That's my house, now follow me."

"Wait, we're not going in there?"

"Well, this place is more special"

We fought our way through the bushes. And when we stopped at that house, that very house that I kept so secretly, I fell to my knees out of exhaustion.

"This…. This is it."

"…Whoa… How old is this little house?"

"It's been here ever since my dad died. I don't know how many years."

I looked up at Dustin and smiled. I got up and hugged him.

"I've never took anyone here before. You're the only other person with permission to come here."

He hugged me back. "Well, should we go inside?"

"Sounds nice."

WE walked into the little house. He walked over and sat in the corner. I flopped down next to him.

After a brief silence, I looked at him and he, back at me. His face started leaning in with his eyes, slowly closing. We started kissing… Passionately.

I pushed him away for a second. "Y'know, I didn't just bring you here so we could be alone."

"Yea but having your boobs pushed up against my back and your hands near my crotch half the time; did you think I wasn't tempted?"

We started kissing again. He leaned back and took his shirt off.

"Sorry, I was getting a little hot there"

"Damn"

I basically jumped on him. We got intimate. His hands where a guy's hands would want to be, and my hands, hell, I couldn't even control my hands. I pretty much gave up trying to hold back. This was what I needed.

We went on for a little bit until I came to my sense and stopped him.

"Look, Dustin, I want to do this, just not here. I mean, that's like creating a disgrace out of this place."

"I got it, let's leave."

I laughed. "Well, we can just call someone to come pick us up then. I don't want to ride all the way back. Just, go wait by the bike. I want to stay here alone for a bit, okay?"

He agreed and left. I went back into the house and closed the door behind me.

"Dad, there you have it. You've already seen Cody, and now, Dustin. Of course, you've probably saw them the moment I did, because you might've been watching over me. Well, that's not the point. I just brought him along because I probably couldn't have done it alone. He's always there for me, and without that, I probably couldn't have cheered up. I'm trying my hardest to be the bright, joyful girl you used to know.

I believe that it could be any moment when mom gets better, so you don't have to worry about that. And yea, she still misses you but come on, who could forget you? I mean, you were the best Father… *hic* a girl… *hic* could ever have…

I love you daddy… I'm always gonna love you… Please…. Let me be happy somehow… I'll come here more often, alone… So we can have these pathetic one-sided conversations… *hic* Just please… *hic* Let everything be back to normal…"

I got up and left the house, brushed dead leaves off the fountain on my way out of my little circle. When I looked back, I swore I saw dad's shadow lying in front of the door, as if he's seeing me off.

I waved at the house and turned around. When I got to Dustin, he was just standing there, drinking his water. I was a little saddened that he had put his shirt back on.

I told him to wait while I go call someone from in the house. I walked up to the door to see if it was locked. It was, so I walked over to the kitchen window, lifted up a flower pot, and took the key that was under there. I went inside the house and grabbed the phone that was on the wall next to the stairs. I dialed Kevin's number and it started ringing.

He picked up with his usual hello.

"Hey, this is Kenzie calling from my old house, do you think you could come pick me and a friend up for a ride. Oh and we have a bike with us."

"Wait, why are you up there, isn't it a school day?"

"Uh…Yea…Well, can you?"

"Yea, sure. But I'm having you explain to me everything when I get there."

"How about I tell you on the way back. It'll save more time"

"Why not."

He hung up and I walked back outside, locking the door and putting the key where it was. I skipped over to Dustin and kissed his cheek.

"He'll be here in a minute."

We sat around and finished the water and pretzels before we saw his car pulling up the driveway.

"Hey Kevin!"

"I ran over to hug him but he stopped me."

"Kenzie, I have some news for you. It's about your mom…"


	21. Punishment

HEYLOO PeopleZ! Just wanna say, won't upload anymore chapter until three, yes three, not two, possibly four, no, still three reviews are posted. Yes, I know, I'm evil but hey, if you like the story tell me. And if you don't, keep it to yourself, and stop reading it ( Ultimate solution) Thanks youu... Oh ad the story miiiiiiiiggghhhtt just be coming to an end... And I don't mean I'm just going to drop it. I'm going to give it a decent ending within the next five chapters, and not one of those "The end" ones where all you guys are like "WTF! THIS IS MADNESS!" and start throwing furniture everywhere... Wouldn't that be just terrible? Again, sorry for wasting your precious time on bestowing upon you, this "shallow and pedantic" information. Enjoy the chapter (:

* * *

I stayed silent for a short moment. Before speaking, I swallowed.

"What happened to my mom?"

"Oh well don't make it seem so dramatic! She's fine; it's just that she's being released on Saturday! So I'm just saying if you're here because you miss this place so much well, don't worry! You'll be back here in no time. And, I don't mean that like, the minute your mom gets out of the Hospital we're packing up, I mean like, maybe a week afterwards. So right now I'm probably just giving your boyfriend a heads-up"

I looked over at Dustin. Of course, his face was expressionless. I felt bad for him, and little bad for myself. _I mean, this whole relationship thing was basically a bet, but I still like him… I just don't know how much I like him…_

Kevin broke the silence as he ushered us into his car.

"So, what makes this trip so important that you would have to miss a school day? Especially when you're all bruised up. Yea, exercise is good for your body but not when your body doesn't need it."

"I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking, it was just 'Dustin, Alone, House, Fun' and I did have fu-"

"Do you think just because you had fun means I'm not going to tell your mother? You're getting in a lot of trouble."

"Ah, I don't think you should my mom. It will just give her more stress."

"Please, she's too healthy for that now. And mister, I'm also telling your parents."

"Yes sir. Sorry sir"

I giggled at his over-respectful reply. Kevin told us to be quite so he can listen to one of his news radio channel while he "sorts' things out" in his head, even though, we just went over it.

We got home around five. We were closer to Dustin's house so we went there to tell the parents first. Kevin asked me to come inside and have a say in this in case they needed explaining.

Once we knocked on the door, we heard rushing footsteps. Dustin's father, Charley, opened the door so fast wind blew in our faces.

"HONEY! IT'S DUSTIN! HE'S HOME!"

His mom, Jamie, came running at Dustin, picked him up and hugged him to popping-point.

"Oh, my precious boy, where have you been? I walked in your room this morning to wake you for school and you weren't there. I called all your friends houses and they said you weren't at school either. You could not BELIEVE how worried your mommy was!"

She stopped as soon as she saw Kevin and me.

"Oh, doctor! Did you find him somewhere? Was he running away?"

"Not exactly. You see, Kenzie here, decided to take your boy on a journey. All the way to Eversville to be precise. On a bike. No, they weren't running away. They called me to go and pick them up, and I assumed they didn't get permission to do such thing, school day or not, so I came to talk it over with you and give details."

She gave me eye-daggers and looked back at Dustin.

"Dustin, let's finish this later. Doctor, you have a nice day then."

They went inside and I got back in the car. After Kevin got in, he looked at the time on the radio.

"We're probably not going to be able to tell your mother, considering visiting time is probably over. I'll just bring you home and we'll discuss this after school. I won't forget."

After that no one really said anything other than commenting on the radio. Once he dropped me off, Josh and Hidey were standing at the door.

"Look, I know you don't like us in your business, but what you did set off a very bad example to our kids. You might as well just work off your bad behavior this weekend. For now, just go finish your homework."

"But I don't have any homew-"

"Your homeroom teacher called and had Josh go all the way to the school to get it for you. A thank you would be appreciated."

"That's a first."

"First what?"

"That you guys would ever appreciate anything from me. You act as if I don't exist."

"Don't you dare talk back to me missy."

"I wasn't talking back, I was interrogating. Although, you probably couldn't see the difference, considering you probably don't even know what that means. Hell, there's not one dictionary in the whole house. Just a bunch of bible and children's book."

"Arguin' AND cussing? Lord, will I be happy when your mother takes you back"

"My thought's exactly"

"Straight to the basement. You're not getting any dinner tonight."

I stormed passed them and halfway down the stairs to the basement, I looked back up and yelled,

"Not like that'll make a difference!"

I could hear her growl at from behind the closed door. I laughed at her childish attitude.

It seemed like when parents are losing an argument, they just all the sudden think of something you did and bring it up again, supposedly giving them another point, when all you can do is tell them to drop it without turning the tables to make them feel guilty about it. It seemed like I knew too much about arguing. It's probably just because I argue too much with adults.

I looked at my bed and Mizu was lying on a pile of homework. IT was as if she was trying to prevent me from doing it, and to just scratch her belly. I smiled and walked over. I examined her and noticed she was putting on a few pounds. Probably because she eats up a whole days' worth of food in one hour.

I picked her up and set her on my lap. I began slowly stroking her back. With occasional puffs of hair flying up after my hand leaves her tail, I kept petting her for a while until it seems as if my hand went numb, so I just set her down and started my homework.

It was simple, and I finished it within one hour and a half. Afterwards, I took a shower. I got tired and changed into my favorite nightgown. It was my favorite because it went to the floor and it was pure white silk. And when I would twirl around it would get bigger and bigger, but then I would stop because my underwear would be showing.

I crawled into my sheets with Mizu at the end of the bed. That night, I had no dreams, only thoughts and worries.

Dustin's P.O.V.

"…And mister, I'm also telling your parents."

"Yes sir. Sorry sir"

Kenzie started giggling. I guessed it was because of me repeating sir. I would've started arguing with her about how rude it is to laugh at people, but her laugh was just so cute. I had to look away to hide the fact that I was blushing

It took us a while to get there, but it wasn't late. Since we were closer to my house, we went there first. Kevin asked Kenzie to come inside and talk with me and my parents just in case.

WE knocked on the door a few times before dad opened it with curiosity.

"HONEY! IT'S DUSTIN! HE'S HOME!"

Mom came to the door and didn't even stop to look at me before she hugged me furiously.

"Oh, my precious boy, where have you been? I walked in your room this morning to wake you for school and you weren't there. I called all your friends houses and they said you weren't at school either. You could not BELIEVE how worried your mommy was!"

She stopped talking and looked at Kevin and Kenzie

"Oh, doctor! Did you find him somewhere? Was he running away?"

I started blushing again. I started thinking about me and Kenzie running away together. Before I was completely submerged into all the stuff I'd plan for Kenzie, Kevin started telling my mom what happened

"Not exactly. You see, Kenzie here, decided to take your boy on a journey. All the way to Eversville to be precise. On a bike. No, they weren't running away. They called me to go and pick them up, and I assumed they didn't get permission to do such thing, school day or not, so I came to talk it over with you and give details."

I looked at mom, and she was looking at Kenzie like she had just committed a crime… _Well, I guess she did commit a crime. I mean, she practically kidnapped me this morning_

"Dustin, let's finish this later. Doctor, you have a nice day then."

They started walking away as my mom was closing the door. I got one last glimpse of Kenzie, but she wasn't looking back at me. My mom pulled me into the kitchen.

"Really? _Really _Dustin? Why her? Don't tell me you seriously like that girl, I mean, she gives off that 'I do bad stuff, because I'm a _rebel_ ' vibe. And plus, ever since you started hanging out with her you've been getting in more trouble. You haven't been paying attention in class, you've been skipping…"

"I've only skipped twice, and they were both very important reasons."

"Oh yea? What's so important about going a city away just to be alone with some girl? Planning to _lose your virginity_ just because all the cool kids do it?"

"God, mom. Don't say stuff like that so lightly. I'm not just some horny high school boy. I have feelings"

"Oh, so is this girl actually your girlf-"

"Yes, she's my girlfriend."

"Well, then why didn't I hear about it?"

"Because I know that if I asked you, you would've said no. Y'know, mom, you can't just control who I like. It's not your choice!"

"I don't tell you whether you _can_ like a girl or not. I tell you whether you _should_ like a girl or not."

"See, that's the thing though. You never really know the girl inside and out. You just judge them by appearance. Yea, sure. Kenzie isn't all that _goody-two-shoes _but I'm not going to let you talk down about her before you even say 'hi' god dammit! She's better than you would think. Hell, she's fucking amazing if you wanna give it a title."

"Dustin, I will not have you speak that kind of language in this house."

"Then how about we go outside? Mom, I'm pissed. 'Course I'm going to cuss. 'Cause if I don't, you won't take me seriously. You'll just say 'Oh, honey, you don't know what you're talking about' and then send me to my room…. Look mom, I'm sorry but I'm in love with this girl. It's mentally and physically impossible for me to even try thinking about anything else other than her. If you support me with my dreams, and goal… Support me and Kenzie. She _is _my dream. My _goal _is to let her be happy with me. To let her know she can trust me. To let her love me back…. And I'm sorry but if you're against it, I'll just take my business elsewhere"

Mom looked me in the eye, and then smiled. She started laughing and then put her face in her hand. I didn't want to say anything to ruin it. At first, I thought she was just laughing at me, but then she looked up and said,

"Gosh, you remind me so much of your father."

I smiled as she walked over to hug me.

"You can have my blessing; just don't run off with her without my consult."

I smiled some more and hugged her back.

"Okay, well, I'm tired. I'm going to bed. G'night sweetie."

I walked into my room after she had left. I sat on my bed. I felt my smile fade when I forgot to mention that the "Girl of my dreams" was moving back next week. That problem, I planned on talking over with my dad. After all, he was the one who ran three miles in the rain chasing after a taxi my mom was in. He confessed to her through the window, and showed her an engagement ring. My mom then paid the taxi guy (even though he only drove her three miles) and jumped out of the car into my dad's soaking wet arms. Even though I'm not a girl, I do think that to be very romantic.

I put my worry aside and got excited for seeing Kenzie the next day at school… Oh shit… School… Homework… Well, it was all coming to an end anyway…. Right?


	22. Scenery

AGAIN! Sorry for the extremely long wait, I had a lot of stuff going on. found out i had a sister (from one family) and a brother (from another family) both over the age of 20. (Long before my mom and dad met each other, nothing to worry about. REALLY SORRRY! I've also been enjoying summer, by NOT being on the computer. Genius, isnt it? (No, very life-threatening actually) Well anyway please enjoy these chapter, I almost DIDN't upload it (ARE YOU MAD?) because I only got 2! comments instead of three, so this time, I will not disappoint you or myself by saying, THERE IS NO COMMENT REQUIREMENT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER! WOO. I still want comments though. They make my day. (No really they dooooo). So yea. ENJOY .

* * *

I woke up to Mizu meowing repeatedly, asking for food. I slumped out of that bed that I could not wait to leave. Of course, the only reason I slept on it was because of my silk sheets. Today was Thursday, but all I could think of was Saturday. Every time it crossed my mind, my heartbeat would rise, and a smile would spread across my face from ear to ear. I missed having my mom around so much, it was unbearable.

The only think that would stop that smile was the thought of leaving Dustin. Up until now, I thought mom and Mizu were all I had. Just about when I was about to add Dustin into that little circle, we have to part. We only have about ten days to get things settled. I don't want to have to cry again.

I put on my favorite yellow and grey striped shirt, and some black flare out jeans. With some makeup on, and Mizu food bowl full, I left for school. Homework done, I had no worries educational-wise.

I met up with Dustin halfway there and we didn't really talk, until Dustin stopped me before we walked into school.

"Kenzie, I swear I'll make this last week worth it for you. I don't care what happens, I'll get sent to the principal's office twice a day, if I can get a laugh out of you, my goal will be fulfilled."

I looked at him and side-grinned.

"Look, even if you succeed to make this week awesome for me, even though we only have today and tomorrow, I-"

"I'll come over for the weekend!"

"That's not the point, plus moms coming back, I'm going to spend my time with her. I'm saying even if you do, it would only make me miss this place more."

"Ugh, look Kenzie, I N-"

"We're going to be late for class."

I left without him, and after a while he caught up to me. School went by, as always. I was too spaced out to pay attention to anything. After I got out of the school building at the end of the day, I saw Kevin's car.

I sighed and walked up to it.

"Well, I guess you really didn't forget. Okay, let's go."

I got in the passenger's seat and looked at him.

"You're…not going to complain, begging me not to tell her?"

"Am I… supposed to?"

"Ah, no. Then, let's get going."

I thought about if anyone would miss me at school. I was just beginning to become friends with Gabrielle. I guess that will never be though. I kept telling myself, 'everything happens for a reason'

When we arrived at the hospital, I was nearly asleep.

"That's funny; you usually don't doze off that much. Especially on small drives like this one. Is anything bothering you?"

I told him no and followed him through the hospital door. Everyone greeted him as we passed. Going up the elevator took some time. Before the doors opened again, I looked down.

"Kevin, do you like my mom?"

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

"Ah, no.. Just talking to myself"

We walked down the hall to my mother's room. When we opened the door, she was looking at us with a huge smile on her face.

"Mom, what's up, why do you look so happy."

"Oh honey, ever since they informed me of my release, I haven't stopped smiling."

I let out a laugh that sounded somewhat like a sigh. Kevin explained to my mom why we were here and what I did. Mom just started laughing.

"Ehehe, I can recall doing something very similar to that when I was young."

"Nancy… You're not going to punish your daughter? She made us all worried."

"Well she's hear now, isn't she? Look, Kevin, don't make a big deal out of it. I'm sure she needed some time away. But Kenzie, I won't be hearing of anything like this while school is still going on, will I."

"No, mom, you won't. Sorry"

I hugged her, kissed her, and then left. I waited in the car while Kevin arranged some things with my mom. When I saw him walking out of the hospital, he had a smile on his face.

The drive home was no different. No one really talked. We were halfway up the driveway when he turned the engine off.

"I bet a lot of your friends up in Eversville miss you like crazy. I know you miss them too. And it's not like you can't meet up with anyone from here in the future.

"I'm not sad about moving"

"Max, I can tell when you're sad" from then on

My face lit up and I looked at him confused. "Did you just call me m-"

"Max. Eheh, do you remember when everyone used to call you that? I remember the day you told me to call you that. After you came home from school one day you ran up to me to call you Max from then on."

"Hah… Why?"

"Because some boy at school said you were girly, and you could never hang out with the boys. For the next month you wore no skirts and only baggy pants, big sweatshirts with boyish brand names on them, you even cut your hair really short. Y'know, I like the you back then. So outgoing."

"Ah, I'm still outgoing!"

"You're very dark nowadays… Maybe you need a haircut"

"NUUUUU!"

"ehahah. Well, I just want to see you smile more often, that's all. It'll make your mother happier too."

"So you DO like my mother!"

Kevin started smiling. His grin spread far across his bright red cheeks. He refused to tell me if he did or not, but the answer was clear.

"Kevin, I'm telling you to keep your relationship with my mother strictly professional. If you ever start dating, you know very well what I'm going to think of you, and those thoughts are anything but fatherly."

I grabbed my bag and didn't give him a chance to say anything. I slammed the car door behind me as I left. When I got to the house, I made no effort in telling anyone that I was home, and just fled down to the basement. Mizu was silently eating.

I threw my bag down and slowly sat down in front of the mirror. I really wondered what had happened to me. I ran my fingers through my hair. I held it up to see what it would look like short. It made me look older. I then noticed the scissors lying down on the desk next to my bed, hopelessly calling out to me.

I went over what was in my head numerous times before I came to a conclusion. First I started out with the bangs, slowly making my way with the scissors about an inch above my shoulders. Slowly watching my hair fall to the floor with apathy, I tried not to cut it bobbed, and made it look jagged and un-even instead.

When I was done, I stopped for a moment and mourned over my loss of hair. Of course, I was happy that it was now short, but it won't be able twirl around in the wind for a while.

And with that, I quickly fled to my bed and fell asleep.

I woke up in my bed not a moment later. I was skeptical of whether or not this was a dream, until clouds started emitting from the bottom of my bed. I noticed I wasn't in the basement any more. When it seemed like I was completely emerged within a mist of white fluffy clouds, the scenery stopped changing.

I felt it was safe to step on the cloud, so I extended my leg out of my bed. Feeling nothing as it pressed against the clouds surface, I started moving my other foot. Just as I was getting ready to stand up, someone called out to me.

"WAIT, IDIOT!"

I turned around, still sitting on the edge of my bed. "Who's there?"

"ME!"

"…That…Helps?"

"Ughh…"

He slowly fled down to my side. "What brings you here?"

"DUSTIN?"

Noticing that he had wings, I was completely dumbfounded. _Wait a second; we've met like this before._

"Um… I guess, I fell asleep and here I am?"

"Well, surely you have a purpose, 'member what we talked about? Dreams are like something your heart desires. A peaceful atmosphere, no indecisive or pessimistic thoughts."

"YEA! About that, I need to make a decision. I need you're godly advice."

He giggled and started floating. Before he was completely in the sky, he grabbed my hand to take me with him.

"Wha- Wait! Where are we g-going?"

Without hesitation, I threw my arms around him and held him tightly. He brought to a different place then the clouds. The scenery was dark. Slowly, I started to hear carnival music. Below us was the Rhody festival.

"Wait, why would you bring me he-"

"Shh.. Just watch."

I looked down and tried to find what he was referring to. I saw me. I saw Levi, Jewel, Dana, Hunter, AJ, Josi, and others. We were all leaning over the rails at the dock. Dustin brought me closer.

I started listening to the conversation, I was talking.

"_Eheh, guys… I swear. Even if it was only for a week, I want to go back to Eversville. It's miserable here. I need you people… Like, with you guys, I could defeat the freakin… Hulk…"_

"_Hahaha! Kenzie, you fanaticize about the hulk too much!"_

"_BECAUSE HE'S GREEEEEEN!"_

"_Ahahahaha!"_

I smiled. It's true, I did miss those days. I looked back at Dustin. He was watching something else. I looked where he was looking, and saw the Ferris wheel. We started flying over

"_I… I'm sorry; I don't know what to say. How's… School?"_

"_Terrible. Everyone misses you. Kenzie, we need you back."_

"_Well I wish I could come back but… I can't. Kevin says we need to stay close to the hospital for a few more months. And school for me isn't so goo eith-"_

"_Can I kiss you?"_

"_Wow um okay. This is a first. Usually you just do it."_

"_I know but I want to be better. I want your true permission. Better than anything, I want you to kiss me."_

I gasped. I looked away immediately.

"Kenzie, what's wrong?"

"I don't…. I don't want to look…"

Even though I still wasn't looking, Dustin brought me closer. I could hear everything.

"_I told you I missed you. Seeing you now and noticing how beautiful you've become is all too overwhelming to me. I wish this night would last forever." _

"_So true."_

I remembered. I knew what was coming. I didn't want to hear it. I shrugged and tried to think of this whole situation just disappearing. I opened my eyes. Everything was white. I was floating anymore.

"Don't be mad at me, but I think I love you…"

My eyes widened. Those words that I just heard, they didn't come from my own lips, or the me I was just listening to.

I slowly turned around. Dustin was just standing there, looking at me, with tears in his eyes.

"Kenzie, I lo-"

I woke up. I could hear the birds chirping outside. Mizu was sitting on my stomach, asking for food. I fed her and got dressed. With my bag, full of finished homework, I walked to school.

All that went through my mind was that dream. Everything was so vivid, so realistic. I kept asking myself "Why?... Why didn't I wake up _THAT _much sooner?"

It just created a really gloomy aura following me around saying "Who do you choose? Jewel? Dustin? Cody? DUSTIN? … or the hulk!"

I stopped for a split second. What? I must've been hearing things. I shook it off and kept walking. As I was approaching the school, a bunch of kids from behind just plowed right in my shoulders trying to pass me. One of them made me drop my bag.

I leaned down to pick it up. I heard the chanting, shouting, excitement in every ones squeely voices.

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

I got up really fast; I couldn't see what was happening. Gabrielle just appeared at my side. I looked at her and raised my eyebrows.

"It seems as if an outsider came here and started a fight with one of our students"

I know what went through my head. Very clearly did I know the very thought I had.

I mushed my way through the students so I could get a closer look. Yup, they were fighting. Didn't take me a second to know who they were.


	23. Recovery

I had to do something. In fact, I was already doing it. I found myself running in the middle of the fight.

"STOP!"

I turned over and faced Cody. "Why are you even here? And Dustin, Why aren't you in class? WHAT"S GOING ON?"

"Kenzie, you shouldn't get yourself involved with this. It's between me and him only."  
"Dude, you shouldn't tell people what to do, they'll get bored of you."  
"You would know. At least I consider their feelings before I say anything."  
"You're a guy, guys shouldn't care about feelings."  
"God! Are you listening to yourself right now? No wonder Kenzie never actually went out with you."  
"Hey. You're the one who said she shouldn't be involved."  
"Way to turn the tables. You're just avoiding your own problems aren't you? I bet all you need is a little discipline."  
"And you think you can supply it?"  
"I will seriously ki-"

"GUYS!"

They both stopped and looked at me, as if they forgot I was there.

"Look, would you not have your period over ever y word you guys say? I mean, seriously, Dustin, I know you have more sense in you than to actually accept a fight from Cody. And Cody, would you please tell me why in the hell you're even here?"

"I heard you were coming back, and I just wanted to make sure, but then this big tough guy right here said that _it's better if I stay away from you_"

"That's 'because all you ever do is cause her pain!"

"DUSTIN! You wouldn't know, okay? You weren't there. It's true, we haven't had the best of times, but I know I can trust him. And I can trust you too. Yes, Cody, I am moving back"

"See? So I AM going to see her anyway, numb-nuts"

"She's better off here."

"Hey, she actually _loved _me. And who knows, maybe she still does."  
"Well, sorry Cody, she's my _girlfriend_ at the moment, I don't think she's been thinkin' of you, and love in the same category."  
"Oh? So you got some confidence in you now, do you?"  
"It appears so. Now, I would like you to end this nonsense. Your thoughts of curiosity have been resolved so leave. You're wasting our time"

"Y'know, I can use big words to sound smart too."  
"Utilizing gargantuan idioms to fabricate intelligence"  
"What the hell did he say to me?"  
"I merely said what you were saying, giving an example of what you were saying, and mocking what you were saying, to feel good about myself, of course."

"Okay, guys, this is getting old. Cody, why don't you get a ride back, Dustin, why don't you go to class, along with THE REST OF YOU DAMN STUDENTS! Can't I just have one precious morning?"

Dustin walked over to me and swung his arm around my shoulder. Having me on one side, he looked to the other, where Cody was standing.

"Have a nice day."

"Wait a damn minute."

"Oh I'm sure we waited one too many already."

"Tch. Get your hands off of her."

"Y'know, you shouldn't tell people what to do; they'll get bored of you."

"God DAMMIT."

Cody came running. Dustin flew in front of me, pushing me back about a foot. Cody there a punch at Dustin and hit him in the cheek. He smiled and looked with his deadly eyes.

"I'm not gonna hold back."

"I wouldn't let you."

They were fighting so fast it seems like it was all an act. Cody was punched in the nose and immediately started bleeding. Dustin was elbowed in the mouth and also started bleeding a lot.

Drop by drop, there were little blood puddles on the ground. I started to feel dizzy. I remembered that one time in the school hall. I fainted because I witnessed too much blood. Right then I was repeating the same act.

My eye-sight went blurry and my knees felt week. All at once, my body gave out and collapsed to the cold pavement. The last thing I saw was Cody and Dustin racing to my side. I woke up at a park, lying beneath a tree.

"Why the HELL am I not in an infirmary."

"Cody couldn't be by your side if you were."

"Huh. I'd imagined you would just stick your tongue out and take me there without him."

"I would've… But Cody wouldn't let go of you. I didn't want to cause harm fighting over you, so I just agreed to leave with him and go to the park."

"UGH… I wish this never would have happened… Can I have one day. JUST ONE DAY… Where my life doesn't seem like the cheesiest book ever? Can I not ask for that?"

They both started laughing. I sat up and leaned against the tree. All of the sudden, it got really windy. The sun wasn't yet above us. The scenery seemed so plain, but I wouldn't forget it, not that day. Dustin grabbed my hand. I heard Cody gasp a little, and then he put his arm around my shoulder.

I knew I never stopped loving him. I didn't know if I loved Dustin or not. It was more than a crush. They were both special to me. I squeezed Dustin's hand and leaned and Cody. I could've made my decision right then, but it would ruin that perfect moment.

Cody ended up being called by his mother. Before he left, he put his warm hands gently onto my cheeks.

"I'll be waiting, Max"

I found myself expecting a kiss from him. He just stared into my eyes. I let out a sigh and hugged him really hard. My right eye developed a small tear. With my might, I clutched my fingers into his shirt and held him tight. Quietly, only to Cody, I whispered.

"I know."

I felt Dustin's hand reach my shoulder. I slowly let go of Cody and looked at his dark blue eyes. He grabbed my shoulders, pulling me away from Dustin. I got the kiss I was desperately awaiting. Right after that, he ran away, leaving me speechless. As soon as he was out of sight, I broke down and started crying.

Dustin came up behind me and kneeled down at my side. The second he put his hand on my back I shook him off.

"Stop… Just… go back… th-this is all y-your fault…*hic*"

"Wha… What the hell do you mean by that?"

"I can't…. *hic* …I can't do this anymore D-Dustin…*hic*….Why do we play this silly g-game? *hic*… It's horrible…. Demeaning… We shouldn't have st-started anything…*hic*"

"Are you saying we should… break up?"

"What else would I be saying?"

He slowly stood up and walked a few steps ahead of me.

"I understand, I won't bother you anymore. I just want you to know, I actually love you. He's just toying with you…"

"HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT? *hic*….*hic*… You… Wouldn't understand?"

"And you think you do? You have a long way before you can understand guys… Before you can understand anything about this situation..."

"You… *hic*….You're so cold not only an hour after I broke with…you…."

"Because with a girl like you, it takes a smile."

I wiped my tears away from my eyes. Makeup was running everywhere.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You can't be sure unless someone tells you what you want to hear. You're actually a real pain in the ass y'know, always crying, leaning on everybody."

I walked up to him and raised my hand up. Just before I was about to, Gabrielle came out of nowhere and slapped him herself.

"Wha? What are yo-"

"Dustin, you think this is going to get you anywhere? What I just witnessed is disgusting. If you actually treasure her don't treat her like shit! *slap* Taking advantage of this amazing girls kindness, patience, and wit is just a sin. The you, right now shouldn't even have to wait to go to hell; as such things would be a privilege. Get a grip on life and stop being your own god damn movie star! Okay? Maybe her breaking up with you was all it took for you to tell your own opinion…"

"God dammit you don't know anything!"

"SHUT UP!"

Dustin looked at me.

"Stop. Just stop it. You worthless glob of human. Y'know, Hulk would be really disappointed in you."

"Wha?"

I left and went back to school with Gabrielle.

"Why did you do that?"

"Simple. I wanted to help you, because we're friends. Well, first it was only one-sided, but you were so darn cute, I couldn't contain my feelings, and stole you from Dustin, as you have just seen. Impressed much?"

"You're weird."

"Yush."

The day ended. I went home, slept without dreams, woke up, picked up my mom from the hospital, and spent the whole day at home doing activities with the family. Such as board games, movies, and talking. I laughed quietly at the fact that Hidey and Josh were noticeably nicer to me when my mother was around.

Josh let her use the guest bed, and I cuddled with her as we slept. I spent most the night crying after she fell asleep before me though. I was happy where I was, with her. Mizu also took part in the reunion by sleeping on mom, purring.

The next day we went pretty much everywhere in that town. All in all it was a fun weekend. That next week, I didn't go to school. I stayed home and packed my things, and even though it would be very simple, considering I had so little, I spent that whole week, procrastinating half of the time thinking about other things. But of course, when it came time to leave, I was ready.

It was my last day. I went to school to get all of my supplies. I received a lot of farewells and cell phone numbers. Gabrielle gave me her number and address. We made plans to watch a movie sometime in the future.

At the end of the day, I had a bag at my side, full of paper, pencils, pens, notebooks, and my arms, carrying my too binders.

I ran into Dustin before I left the building. I looked down and walked right passed him. He grabbed my arm and gently stopped me.

"Don't waste your time making it better; I have to get home soon anyway."

I shrugged my arm away and kept walking. I got home around six, taking my time walking.

My mom was in the passenger seat of Kevin's car. Kevin was inside talking to Josh. I noticed all my stuff was already in the car, including Mizu, so I got in as well.

"Honey, what's wrong? You didn't fall in love with anyone while you were there, did you? Eahaha!"

"I might have."

"Eheh, what's that? I wasn't listening."

"Haha. Nothing, mom. How long is the drive again?"

"Oh we won't be there until eight; you probably should just fall asleep."

"Is that what you're going to do?"

"No, I have a lot to talk about with Kevin."

_Yea, I probably should fall asleep. I know how they flirt. I hate it. _Kevin got in the car. As he started it, I got a pillow from one of my bags, laid my head down on it, grabbed Mizu, and fell asleep.

I woke up when we got there. It was sort of dark, but the moon wasn't out yet. Kevin helped my mom with all her stuff, and I fixed my room. When everything was in there, I first put down Mizu's food bowl, with food in it, and started making my bed. Once I was done, I put a calendar on my wall. When I asked my mom what day it was, I was amazed at how much time has gone by. We only had two more weeks of school. I went down stairs to put up the pictures in the hall, and didn't need to.

I walked over to the kitchen counter and looked out the window. I couldn't see anything passed the first layer of tree that keeps the forest. I whispered to myself, "Tomorrow, don't worry"

I walked up to my room and got in my bed. _Ah, freshly made bed… Nyah!~_


	24. Where I Am

ATTENTION:  
This chapter might be the last normal one. I plan to make the next one about three or more times larger (6,000+ words) because I need to bring this to an end. Don't worry though, it will be satisfying. I will mention in the next chapter what's going to happen after it ends. Keep reading!

* * *

I woke up, and for a moment, I was confused. I thought to myself, "Where am I" and not even a second later I realized I was back home. It was Saturday. I spent the whole morning talking to my mom. Mostly about Dustin.

"I don't know if I'll see him again… I mean, any time soon, that is. I'll probably see him again."

"I think he was just a stepping stone for you. You have to wait for the right person, and I'm sure it wasn't him"

"Yea, thanks mom, I totally forgot about him now."

"Oh honey, maybe you should go outside, walk to one of your friends house. Whoever they are, I'm sure they'll understand your situation more than me. These generations are so different…"

"hah… Okay, I guess I'll be back soon?"

"'kay. Love you"

"I love you too mom."

I left the house feeling doubtful. I didn't know whose house I was going to go to. I just decided to go to my little house. Even if there really was nothing there, the air could listen better than my friends. I don't even think half of them have been in love yet at the time.

Through the brush, I saw my beloved house, not as new as I left it. I didn't really pay attention to it the last time I was there. I tried to suppress all those memories for now. I regretted not taking a machete of some sort. The stickers were growing back. The grass was a little too high, but still as green as ever. The fountain was dried up, so no birds came by.

I crept into the house, only to find it completely clean. Cleaner than how it was when I left the last time, as if someone came by. The pink chair was perfectly pushed in, and the blue, was pulled out slightly. I started getting paranoid. _Has someone been here?_

I started hearing footsteps outside the bushes. It was coming from a different direction. Not even a day here, and someone already tryin' to make drama.

I ran out of house with the blue chair. I swung it around a few time. "Come out! I ain't afraid of you! That is, unless you have some sort of dangerous weapon. In that case, I would be terrified, but if you don't, show yourself!"

I heard giggles, and then I saw someone running towards me. I put the chair a few steps aside, because I really didn't want to damage. I made a firm stance. Before I realized it was Jewel, I was charged to the ground.

"MAX! Oh my gosh I mished you sho much! (I missed you so much)"

"Hahaha. Why the hell are you here?"

"I brought her here."

I looked up and saw Cody. "Why? And how…-"

"I kind of knew you would be here, and Jewel wouldn't stop talking about how much she missed you and whatnot, and of course, I got sad whenever someone talked about you, so we decided about coming here to see the one and only."

I smiled and hugged Jewel back. Cody walked over to help us up. After he helped Jewel, he extended his hand out to me. I took it, pulled him down, and hugged him.

"I didn't make you wait long, did I?"

"The moment you left my sight I was already waiting too long."

"You are so cheesy!"

We kept hugging each other, and just when we were about to forget about her, Jewel interrupted our little reunion.

"Cody, we should probably go back soon. I mean, we did plan a study group. They're probably on their way to your house right now."

"They? Can I come? I mean, to see everybody."

"Ah, I don't thi-"

"Sure, that sounds like fun."

I looked at Jewel and she faked a smile. I wondered what she was about to say. We walked to Cody's house and Hunter, Josi, Dana, and Lisa were there. They all looked surprised to see me.

"HOLY CRAP SHE'S BACK!" Hunter and Dana tackled me, and Josi stood by and laughed. I hugged here afterwards, though. Lisa just looked at Cody, confused.

"I… I thought she lived somewhere else. Is she visiting?"

"No, she moved back, hopefully for good."

Cody looked at me and half-smiled. Oh god, how I had missed that smile. I then looked at Lisa, still smiling, being affected by Cody's smile, and she gave me a cold stare.

"…. So, why don't we go inside?"

One step inside that house and I remembered everything from the last time. Even the thought of not wanting to be there ever again. When walking up the stairs, I slowed down and so did Jewel. I leaned in and whispered to her.

"So why haven't I seen Anthony in a long time? Does he not hang out with you guys anymore?"

"Well, he and Cody aren't friends anymore, considering their little fight over Lisa."

"They had a fight over Lisa?"

"Oh man, you should have seen it, Fists were flying, blood was boiling, and hell, you should have really heard what they were saying. Talk about jealousy."

"Like, what did they say? And how did it start?"

Cody looked at me and noticed I was whispering with Jewel. "Hey, hey. No secrets, please." After he was done saying that, we were all in his room. As we sat down, Jewel gave me the 'I'll tell you some other time' face, and I just nodded.

"Speaking of no secrets, how about we play a game. Much like truth or dare, but more truth. The daring stuff comes around later in the game. Here I'll give us a topic. KENZIE, since I don't know much about you, let me ask…. What's the farthest you've ever gone with a guy?"

"What."

"Come on; tell us, we won't rad on you or anything. Is it that, you're afraid to tell your friends or something?"

"Are you even my friend? I mean, we haven't even talked yet, have we?"

She gave a crooked smile as if she were crazy. "Just tell us already."

I swear I felt a chill go down my spine. I looked at Cody, and he was looking down, blushing.

"Oh? Don't tell me the farthest you've gone is with MY boyfriend?"

"Wait, Cody, she'still your..-"

"Yes, it's true. And now I'm curious… Who do you think, has gone farther."

_What the hell is this girl trying to stir up? _"Well… I don't know, probably you."

"Cody? Is this true? Have I gone farther than this girl?"

"Pffft. Hahaha. Sorry, but no."

"BUT? How is that possible? You've even seen my breasts before!"

Everyone huddled in the little sit-circle was blushing after hearing such a confession. Jewel was the first to start giggling.

"Okay, pervert, can we start studying now?"

"Not until I know how far they've gone."

"PLEASE! That's information between them only. Now seriously. We have a test on Monday and I can't fail."

"Jesus, honey, don't worry. You'll get farther with looks then you will smart."

"Even for a woman, that's quiet demeaning Lisa."

"It's true. Jewel has natural beauty. Most girls in Eversville do. I mean, I can't say the same for you but-"

"She's prettier than you?"

As soon as Jewel mentioned that, I started observing every one of her details. She looked like she was about a hundred and twenty five lbs., more straight than curvy, but she had nice thighs. Her bust was probably a 24B, since her torso was little. Still a nice pair, if you subtract all the padding. Yes, I can tell, because of how tight her abbreviated top was.

Her hair was a light caramel that stopped about an inch after her shoulders. IT would be longer if it wasn't so wavy. She had freckles, and was mildly pale. She had a cute nose, but her lips were a little small, and they looked chapped. Her eyes were hazel. More on the green side though. She was wearing makeup, mostly mascara, so I couldn't judge her 'natural' beauty at that point, but overall, she had a pretty nice body goin' on.

She caught me looking at her and smirked. "Jealous, tomboy?"

"Of what?"

Cody started giggling. She was embarrassed. We (They, with the help of me) studied for a good twenty minutes. There was snickering every now and then, which only made Lisa feel more uncomfortable. And, at last, she snapped.

"All right, that's it. I want to have some alone time with Cody. Take this study group elsewhere if you're not into seeing passion between too lovers."

"Wow, that…. Kind of sounds disgusting, now that I'm imagining it, thanks." I laughed at Jewels innocent remark.

I looked outside and noticed how dark it was. "Yea, good timing, pervert. I have to get going."

"I'm not a freaking pervert, tomboy!"

"Ah, the joy of making nicknames at such a young point in one's friendship."

"We're not FRIENDS!"

"Okay, pervert. Cody, I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye."

I got one last look at Cody before I left. He gave me a fake smile. Right before I left for the door, he exclaimed,

"Ah! I'll walk you home…if that's okay with you"

"And me, you mean. If it's okay with me, which actually, I feel a little insecure about it."

"Sure, you can walk me home, I'd gladly let you."

"Wait! Hey, you need my consent!"

"All right, let's go."

We both giggled at each other knowing the fact that it made Lisa terribly mad. Cody told her to wait there, since the walk isn't too long. As we were leaving the house, Lisa opened Cody's window and screamed out to him.

"Be safe! I love you!"  
"Uh, yea!"  
I looked up at her. Winking, I screamed back, "Love you too, my little kitty!"  
"And you call me the pervert?"  
"I can tell by your face, which is blushing profusely."

Lisa was embarrassed and shut the window. I looked at Cody and he was laughing.

"What?"

"My little kitty? Pervert? Tomboy? You guys are way too weird."

"I think we're completely opposite. Opposites attract!... And about that, what does Cody like about her….. Uh?"  
"Eh, she's just really fun to hang out with."  
"I HEARD that you had a fight with Anthony over her? I would like details, please."

"Haha, you heard that? Must've been Jewel. She was hanging out with Anthony that day. I just didn't think he deserved her, with the way he treats girls, you know."

"And you do? Pff, so why haven't you like, done it yet?"  
"HAHA! I don't know, she doesn't seem to be into it."  
"GASP. Don't tell you… are saving yourself? The king playboy is saving himself!"  
"King playboy? Where did that come from?"  
"My mouth."

"It's not that I'm _saving _myself or anything, it's just that I don't think she's the right girl, y'know?"

"Yes, I completely know what you are talking about. "

"Oh shut up."

We kept pushing each other, teasing ourselves with our feelings unknowingly. I tried to be as normal as I could at the time. I definitely wasn't going to submit myself to him to first day back. Well…

"Cody. How long do you think your little tickle goodle with Lisa is going to last?"

"Why? Do you want me back that badly? Oh, wait; you're dealing with a long-distance relationship right now, aren't you?"

"Nope. I think I'm going to push love-hate relationships away from me for now. Might give me a little less drama, and stuff like that"

"I kind of get what you're saying, but being a teenage boy, doing that would be torture."

"Haha, so really, how far have you gone with that girl?"

"I've seen the boobs, felt the boobs, hehe… I haven't felt the….Well; she thinks that should be totally restricted for now. We've been dating for months!"

"Ehah."

"How far have you gone with that black-haired dude. And what do you like about him."

"We made out, touched some skin… I don't know, I don't want to remember. What I liked about him… I don't know, He saw me at my absolute worst, and still accepted me, then encouraged me to show my best."

"And what do you find so irresistible about me?"

"Cody… You are a total tsundere."

"sun…deer?"

"Haha, tsundere means you're really intimidating and free on the outside, but on the inside, you are a big teddy bear, and you're sort of limited."

"Haha, that's your fault. I used to be a complete badass before I met you."

"Oh so now it's my fault?"

"Yup."

We arrived at my house shortly after that. WE stopped in front of my door.

He leaned in, I lifted my head a little. With our lips locked, I felt like no one could get in between us. Heads were tilting, tongues were moving, and the breathing was hot. One of his hands was in the middle of my back, and the other was lying gently on my cheek. My fingers were entwined in his scruffy dirty blonde hair.

We finally let go each other, noticing that that was completely unintentional.

"Kenzie… I-"

"I have to go, um, good night. Tell my little kitty I said I'll see her on Monday."

I rushed into my house and closed the door behind me. I slid down to the floor and covered my mouth with my hand. I felt like my blood was rushing to my head. I smiled and ran up to my room. I jumped on my bed and started squealing quietly to myself. I laid my head down on my pillow.

"I'm home."


	25. Every Story Has An Ending

I have a lot to say, but I'm not going to say most of it. This story, like most stories, started with a dream. But the thing is, it was only once dream. And ever since I started it, I never thought I would bring it to an end, and I did. I never wrote a chapter, knowing what was going to happen next, so even I was excited about how it was going to end. I don't know if it's really all over yet. I might even make a story based on their children. Who knows. This whole story was basically my feelings conveyed into certain scenes. I cried a lot during this story, and I also laughed a lot during this story. (I'm not sure if any of you did)

But really, I hope you enjoyed it, and if you really want more, you can tell me. I might not write anything until October though. That's usually the month when I start amazing stories, (:P) and I'm going back to school in a week. But hey, I managed to get 40% of this done in school, so yea, I'm capable

All in all, I think that there are some parts I could have made better. I never would've thought of putting this up on 'Fanfiction', so be lucky that I did that lol. This story was supposed to be for my own enjoyment. But it was you guys who encouraged me to finish it. (Even though I barely got any reviews... T^T)

I should stop. Please, Enjoy the last chapter of "Cliché"

* * *

I woke up around twelve the next morning. I slid out of bed and rushed down the stairs. Mom was already making lunch, but of course, it was breakfast…for lunch.

"Eggs, bacon, and hash browns, mommy style. YES! When will it be ready?"

"In about thirty minutes."  
"Great, I'm going to go to see if Thomas has a machete that I can borrow or something. Love you."  
"Don't kill anybody!"  
"I'll try not to!"

I left the house, jogging to my cousin's house. Once again, Katie answered the door. Her hair had already grown out and now touched somewhere in the middle of her back. She was wearing fluorescent clothing this time, with some brown Uggs. The look fit her.

"Hey, Katie is Thomas in the shed?"  
"Holy shit, is that you, Kenzie? Jeez, you got older. I love your hair. Oh and yea, he's in the shed"  
"Thanks. Oh and, you look really good with long hair."

She smiled and I was satisfied with that. I went to the shed and Thomas was working on a vehicle. It was an old Shelby.  
"Thomas, do you have a machete?"  
"Jesus! Kenzie! Haven't seen you in like two years! Lookin' good girl!"  
"DO YOU HAVE A MACHETE?"  
"Yes, I do. What are you using it for?"  
"Cutting down brush"

"It's hanging in the back next to all the other items that I seriously think you use to kill someone instead of 'cutting down brush,' if that's not already some term you use when you're killing armies of your enemies"

"Yea, I kill people, thanks for the machete, I'll return it after school tomorrow."

"You're already started school? I heard you just got back. Heck when you moved away, didn't you wait like, three months before you started school?"  
"That was a tragic time, this is happy-happy-fun-time."  
"And that means…?"

"KILLING TIME"

I took the machete and skipped away hysterically laughing. I heard Katie talking to Thomas after I left.  
"She is one awesome kid."  
"Eh… She could be a little less scary."  
"haha."  
I felt good about myself. I stopped skipping after I noticed I was still skipping. I walked back home and lunch was already ready.  
"That was not thirty minutes."  
"Be happy."  
"Yes ma'am."

I chowed down on the food, because I hadn't ate much in a long time. After I was done, I cleaned my plate and gave my mom a hug. I made my way passed the brush, purposely not cutting that part down. It was like my barrier. With the machete, I made a big dirt circle where I wanted the clean grass to end and the bushes to stay idle. With that, I got to work.

Thrust my lethal weapon around, I was singing joyfully as I killed invisible air people. Once I was done the machete work, which didn't take long, I got down on my knees and starting pulling weeds. The day long work was worth it, because it tired me so I went to sleep early, which resulted in me waking up earlier. It also made it a lot prettier.

When I got home, I saw Kevin and mom talking, flirting, and laughing through the kitchen window. I rolled my eyes and walked into the house, ignoring their existence until Kevin called out to me when I was half way up the stairs.

"Hey, Kenzie, I got you this book when I passed this little store on the way here. I noticed you had most of this series in your bag. I also noticed you were missing a volume.

I looked more sharply at the book he was holding. All I could see was the Chiro and Rumie were on the cover. I ran down the stairs, walked up to Kevin and ripped the book out of his hands. "THANKS."

I ran back up to my room and immediately started reading it. I got to stopping point, and put it away for later reading. Rumie was stuck in a situation with another boy who was a vampire hunter, who had coincidently fallen for her, not knowing that she, Rumie, had already loved Chiro, a vampire.

I fell asleep and didn't have any dreams, until a minute before I woke up. Everything was still black, but people were talking to me.

"Kenzie, I'm sorry. Why couldn't you have chosen us…. Kenzie, we love you…"

Then, with a voice I'll never forget, I heard the words, "We'll come back for you…. 'Rare being'"

I thrust my head up and breathed heavily. Once I calmed down, I got and looked for clothes to wear to school. Then I remembered, we wear uniforms. "SHIT!"

"Your uniform is down here honey, Kevin also picked this up for you."

I went downstairs and dressed up in the bathroom. Ironically enough, I didn't have enough time to put on my makeup. I Left my hair as it was and threw on my shoes, and ran out the door.

I was running so fast, my legs were creating wind and pushing up my skirt. I slowed down when I got to Cody's house. I saw him walking out and got excited. I then saw Lisa clinging behind him. _Don't tell me… She freakin' spent the night? Oh, that pervert!_

"Hello, my little perverted kitty! You look lovely in that short skirt!"

"What the hell is wrong with you, tomboy?"

"Nyahahaha!"

I ran ahead of them. I made sure to have the last word so Cody didn't say anything. I was still a little embarrassed about the other night.

I got to school. Sighed a happy sigh before I opened the door. As soon as I grabbed the handle I heard the words, "We'll come back for you.." and let go immediately. I built up the courage, convincing myself that was never going to happen again, I grabbed the door and swung it open. "I HAVE RETURNED!"

A crowd of people I knew dropped their jaws, and came rushing up to me. Others didn't care, and teachers smiled. Well, some.

School went by really fast, sadly. Nothing really happened, even if everyone was telling me how much they missed me. I picked on my little perverted kitty for most of the day, and that was pretty much it. I didn't talk to Cody. Right when the day ended, I ran into an old face. Someone I would've never really wanted to see again, for some strange reason.

"K….KENZIE? Oh my gosh! You're back!"  
"N…I don't know what you're talking about, stranger."  
"Don't be silly, I can tell it's you by your voice."  
"Nick, it's not the same me, leave me alone."  
"Come on! Let's talk!"

_Jesus freakin' Christ dude. _I gave him the creepiest smile I could ever make. "Hehe, I'm sorry, but if you bother me any longer, I'm going to have to CUT OFF YOUR FINGERS AND USE THEM TO MAKE A VOODOO DOLL, THEN DECAPITATE THE VOODOO DOLL, TAKE THE HEAD, FEED SOME SEAGULLS WITH IT, AND THEN KILL THE SEAGULLS BECAUSE THEY CHOSE TO EAT YOUR UNWORTHY ROTTING FLESH!"

Everyone in the hall was staring straight at me. Nick was shocked beyond words.

"See how much of a silly commotion you make by saying merely words? Hehe, you're so foolish, you ignorant freak"

I left the school and ran out of every ones sight. I started walking after that. No one caught up with me, so I was lonely the rest of the day. The next week and a half were like that. They kept passing by as if nothing. Finally, it was Friday, the last day before summer. I was turning in all of my work when Lisa and Jewel walked up to me.

"HEY, wanna go on a camping trip this weekend? Kind of a "Woo, no school" thing. You in?"  
"UH… yea, sure. Sounds fun."  
"Okay, meet at Cody's house tomorrow around noon okay?"  
"Oh Cody's going too?"  
"Yea, so are Levi, Hunter, and AJ."  
"And for girls, there is you, Josi, me, and Lisa."  
"All right, sounds cool. I'll meet you guys then."

I turned around and told the principal to have a fun summer. She smiled at me and I left. Everyone crowding around the buses was screaming. Excitement and relief ruled the air. I giggled and turned for the road. Lisa ran up behind and kind of slowed down once she was at my side.

"I'm going to say this once, and probably again tomorrow. Just because we'll be in different tents doesn't Cody if safe from you. I want to be as close as possible to him, so could you share a tent with Jewel only?

"Does that mean you'll be sleeping with him?"  
"Of course."  
"Bring condoms, everybody hates teen pregnancy."  
"BAH! He probably already has some, being the playboy he is."'  
"Haha, I know right? Hey so, how good of friends are you and Jewel?"  
"It took her months until she talked to me, but I could tell she was always staring me down. Like she thought I was an alien for the longest time."  
"She was checking to see if you had bad antics, she does that with everybody."  
"Even you?"  
"No, that was before she started getting suspicious about everyone."  
"How did you become friends?"  
"We got in a fight. "

FLASHBACK:

"_You, weirdo! Get out of my way!"  
"I'm sorry, but isn't just walking around me a smarter solution?"  
"NO! because you're ugly!"  
"That….do-"  
"I said get out of my way!"  
"I got the Hulk on my side, you're no match for us. You might as well go around, blondie."  
"Hulk doesn't exist!"  
"That's what you mere humans think. Right now, I'm letting him borrow my authentic invisibility cloak, which I inherited from my grandpa, who was a wizard. Jealous much?"  
"What is wrong with you?"  
"I see things others can't, resulting in me believing all of this nonsense. Who knows, it might just push me to complete insanity when I get older. Be my friend, and I can share these visions with you."  
"Who would want to be your friend?"  
"Hulk."  
"…ha…hahahaha! You're just too funny, Max."  
"I'll consider this as an acceptance of my request to be your friend."  
"haha, sure whatever…"_

END

"Wow, what a weird way to make friends."  
"It's basically what I'm doing to make you my friend."  
"How?"  
"Being weird."  
"Okay…"  
"Well, I'm guessing you're spending the night at Cody's place, so we'll stop our little conversation here."  
"Uh, yeah. See you tomorrow."  
"I can't wait. Don't miss me too much, okay?"  
"Like I even plan to."  
"It's so cute when my little perverted kitty get embarrassed, makes me just want to kidnap you right now."  
Lisa ran into the house and slammed the door behind her. I laughed and started walking away. I heard a window open and thought it was my little kitty.  
"As I expected, you're back for more love? Shall I blow you a kiss?"

"I would love that."

I looked up and saw Cody smirking at me. I started blushing and turned away.

"Th-this is a misunderstanding!"

"Fine, then I'll do it myself"

"Do wh-"

"Mwah!~"

I looked up and saw him in kiss-blowing position. I blushed even more and started stomping off. I thought he was totally mad at me, considering he didn't even talk to me at school. When I got home, I saw Kevin's car. _Really, again?_

I walked inside and looked at my mom. "Tomorrow I'm going on a camping trip with my friends. I'm leaving early in the morning."

She gave me an okay look and I walked up to my room. I grabbed my book and started reading it. I stopped after a short while because I was getting irritated by how indecisive Rumie was. I got up from my bed and looked in my closet. I found a really cute bikini that I haven't worn in a while. I put in on under some casual clothes.

I walked outside, grabbed mom's bike, and started riding down the road. IT felt weird not having my hair blowing through the wind drastically. It was barely moving, but it was still completely out of my face. It felt nice.

When I passed Cody's house, I noticed that he noticed me from his window. I smiled at him then looked forward again. I made my way to a little swimming hole everybody goes to. The river was really shallow, but if you cross it, there's a really cool deep place. I took my converse off and walked to a little dry rock In the middle of the river. I took off my shirt and lay it down so I could sit on it. Since it was nearing to the end of the day, I was partly in the shade.

I dipped my legs in a somewhat deep part. I leaned back and sighed. For some strange reason, it already felt too much like summer. I stayed where I was for a while. Just before my legs started to feel numb, I got up and found a swimming area. All I did was dive in and get out. Soaking wet, I walked back across the river, got on the bike, and started headed back for home. I stayed there for about thirty minutes before I left, so I was satisfied. When going uphill on the road, I used utmost strength. I was standing up, with my butt out a little. I imagined how funny I was looking and laughed a little

I passed Cody's house again, and he was still looking out the window. He saw me, and I winked at him. He started blushing, which caused me to blush. I laughed at him and rode away. I got home when it was dark. Kevin was gone, and I was happy. When I walked in the house I saw a plate full of food wrapped in saran wrap. It was steak and noodles.

"Thank you mom!"

I didn't get a response, but I figured that she was already asleep. I ate the food and walked up to my room. Mizu was sleeping on my pillow. I smiled. I grabbed some clothes from my closet and walked back downstairs. I took a shower and quickly ran back up to my room with a big shirt and sweat shorts.

I looked in my closet. I grabbed a few shirts, and a couple pairs of pants. I giggled when I grabbed a bra, which was my favorite bra. I ended up just putting it on, because I didn't have one on at the time. I put the clothes in a bag, dried my bikini, and put it in with the clothes, unless we were camping near a river. I put my iPod in last. I made sure it was fully charged. The music on it was old, but I still liked it.

I also put some clean sheets in it, and I blow up mattress. I put the bag aside and walked down the hallway. I opened mom's door and saw her in bed. I walked in the room and leaned down to kiss my mom on the forehead. "I love you mom."

"…Love you to sweetie.."

I smiled and left. I walked back in my room. I lay down in my bed, having my head right next to Mizu. I drifted off to sleep.

Everything was white. I looked around and couldn't see anything. Suddenly, a tent appeared. I walked towards it and unzipped the front. I looked inside and almost had a nosebleed. Cody was sleeping on a small futon, completely naked, with the blanket covering his manhood.

"S-sorry to intrude on your slumber….I'll….I'll go now"

As I turned away, Cody grabbed my hand and pulled me down to the futon. "Well, hello there, gorgeous."

"Aeagh! I'm sorry Lisa!"  
"Lisa doesn't mind, do you Lisa?"  
Lisa popped up from behind Cody, also wearing nothing. "I don't mind at all…Meow"  
"What the hell?"  
"Shhh, calm down, and just, cuddle with me."  
"I c-c-c-cant…..N-n-no!"

He sat up and yanked me under him. With one hand, he was holding both my arms above my head, and the other was creeping up the front of my shirt. "Nnn…no!"  
Cody pulled my shirt completely off of my head. His hand then started moving downwards.

"Please..ssss… Stop…"  
Lisa was still at our side. "More! More! Make her yours!"  
"WHAT!"

Cody unbuttoned my pants, and started pulling them down. He threw my pants and shirt outside the tent.

"NEXT LAYER! Take off the next layer Cody!"  
"Nnnn….No!"

He managed to get the blanket over both us. His hand made its way back to my legs. He started spreading them the apart.

"NO!" I was sitting up in my bed.  
Mom came running into the room. "HONEY! Are you okay?"  
"Uh, yea, I just had the weirdest dream."

She left and I checked the time. It was ten fifteen. I left the house anyway. I walked to Cody's house. I looked up and yelled out to his window.

"Hey, I don't know if you mind that I came early, but I just wanted to leave the house. I can leave if you want and come back later!"  
I heard some rustling and saw Cody open the window. "Uh, no, why don't you come up?"  
"Okay!"

I opened their front door and walked into the house. Cody's mother was getting food ready.

"Oh hi sweetie! Are you going on the trip with everyone?"

"Yeah.."

She smiled and I started walking up their stairs. When I opened the door I saw Cody in his pajamas, which were some baggy sweatpants…and no shirt. He was getting a bag ready for the trip.

"Where's…Lisa?"  
"She went back home to get ready. I guess she can't trust me with seeing her put makeup."  
"Haha, okay, why would makeup be necessary for a _camping_ trip?"  
"Max, she's a girl."  
"I'm a girl."  
"You're different than her."  
"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not. I mean, you're finally comparing me to others."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"Nothing. Should I just wait here? Or do you wanna change?"  
"You could wai-"  
"I'm going to go wait outside. I'm sure someone else will come early."  
"I get it…"  
"Get what?"  
"You're still worried because I'm with Lisa, and you don't even want to hang out with me."  
"I just don't want to get in the way."

I walked out of his room, rushed down the stairs, and walked outside. I threw my bag down and then sat on it. Not even five minutes later, Lisa came strolling up the road.

"Good morning, my little kitty."  
"Save it for later, tomboy, I'm not in the mood."  
"Hissing so early in the day, Maybe you should relax, kitten, its summer."  
"Yea well I can't relax when someone's gonna make a move on my boyfriend this trip."  
"Hey! You can trust me!"  
"Not you, Josi"  
"But Josi is with Hu-"  
"Not anymore. Rumor is that she broke up with him, so she could confess to MY Cody on this trip."  
"Why don't you talk with her about it?"  
"I was kind of hoping you would."  
"Kitten, I have nothing to do with this."  
"But you're scarier than me"  
"Thanks…"  
"Anyway, why are you outside?"  
"Your boyfriend is up there changing."  
"Ah, you're such a loyal person."  
"Loyal FRIEND."  
"We're not friends."  
"Fine, whatever, you're still my little perverted kitten."

Lisa blushed and ran in the house. I laughed and looked down. Every one ended up coming before twelve due to excitement. We were now all standing around Cody's mom's car. When everyone got in the car, Lisa leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Sit on the other side of Cody so Josi doesn't, please.

I did as she said, and Josi looked at me and sighed. She ended up sitting next to me. _Maybe that rumor was true_.

"Okay guys and gals, it's not a short drive, and we'll probably get there in about two hours. So get comfortable, cause I'm not stopping. We already have all sorts of snacks up here, and if you eat 'em now, we're not getting more, ya hear me?"

"Yes ma'am!"  
I managed to get my iPod from my bag. Right when I was about to put the left ear-bud in, Cody put out his hand. "I wanna listen too."  
"I don't think you 'd like the music I listen to"  
"I don't want to listen to nothing"  
"Talk to someone"

He sighed and too the ear-bud from my hand. I rolled my eyes and started playing music. We both started lip-syncing the music. I gave him the 'you know this song?' look. He smirked at me and kept lipping the song. Everyone but Cody and I were asleep, with at least twenty more minutes until we got there.

I started getting tired and unconsciously laid my head on his shoulder. HE then grabbed my hand closest to him. I looked up at him, then at Lisa. His arm was around her shoulders, with her head also lying on Cody. I yanked my hand away and lifted my head off of him. He looked at me with sorrow in his eyes.

I went to the notes app in my iPod. I typed the words, "You're going out with Lisa, I couldn't do that to her."

I gave the device to him, and he started typing something else. He gave it back to me and it said,  
"I get where you're coming from, but I know how you feel about me, and I know how I feel about you, and so do you."

I started typing. "I know, but I don't want you to stoop to that level. I need you to be completely done with Lisa."

When I received the iPod again, I kept reading over the words… "I can't do that. I still don't know how I feel about her."

My heart dropped. I looked up at Cody. I yanked the ear-bud out of his ear and put it in my left one. I leaned my head against Josi's shoulder this time. The song "Chasing Cars" suddenly started playing.

I tried to hide it, but one after another, tears strolled down my face. I don't know why that made me so sad. It somehow reminded me of the first time I cried in front of Cody. He was holding me close to him, letting me drench the front of his shirt. I was wanting so badly that he would hold me then. When I snuck a peek at him, he was asleep, cuddling with Lisa.

That sight pained me so much. SO much that I wanted to jump out of the car that very second. I lifted my head off of Josi and just looked forward. Expressionless.

A little later, Cody's mom turned around and looked at me. She smiled and whispered.  
"Want me to honk the horn?"  
"Let me get the stuff out first"

I out my iPod back in my bag and grabbed everyone's stuff. The camp site didn't look new. There was a camp fire surrounded by stones and dead logs to sit on, and spots where tents have previously been place. I threw everything around the logs, and went back for the tents. There were five tents, but there was only supposed to be four. I brought my own so I could be alone.

I looked back once I put the tents down and gave Cody's mom a thumbs up. She honked the horn for about five seconds and everyone jumped. When everyone got out, she had a little chat with Cody then left.

"All right! My mom gave me her cell phone, and said to call when we all want to go home so for now, there is no limit!"

Everyone woo-ed. After everyone picked where they wanted their tent, they started setting them up. I went with the closest place to the river, a little isolated from the rest. I set mine up quickly, and put the mattress along with my bag in it. I went to help the others with their tents before I got mine completely associated.

Cody stopped me. "Where is your tent?"  
"Ah, it's over in that dir- Wait, why do you want to know? You know, I'm not going to tell you, otherwise I won't feel safe when I sleep."  
"Ah? Come on!"

I laughed and walked over to the girls. Josi was in one alone, and Lisa and Jewel were sharing one.

I had to beg Jewel to let me be alone. I felt good after she said she was worried, but I assured her that I didn't have any problems.

"Hey, tomboy, I need to talk with you for a second."  
"'kay."

Me, Jewel and Lisa walked a little ways away from everybody else.

"Okay, I have a plan. Cody is sharing a tent with Levi, but Jewel said she can switch places with him, since she has this thing going on with Levi, so-"  
"WHAT? JEWEL!"  
"Yea, I didn't have ANY time to tell you. I thought you would've figured. We've only had it goin' on since Monday anyway."  
"You had A WEEK to tell me, you blockhead!"

She laughed as I punched her. Of course, I was okay with this. I had nothing to do with it anyway.

"Anyway, they will switch and Cody and I will be together, so I need you to stay up and keep watch until then, I don't Josi to crawl up and make a move or anything."

"Understood."

We wasted the rest of the day getting ready with all of our stuff. Me and Jewel made hotdogs and hamburgers on a baby grill. They were gone in about ten minutes, since everyone was "starving."

We all sat around the campfire, roasting marshmallows. Cliché, right?

Josi was the first to break the silence. "So, Jewel, I heard you and Levi and together? Details, please."

"Eheh, there isn't much to say, I just.. I've liked him for a long time, and finally thought I would try confessing, and he felt the same way."  
"Is he gonna be your first?"  
"*cough* What? I um.. I don't know, maybe?"

Jewel was blushing furiously. I looked at Levi and he was looking at her, smiling. Not in that weird, stalker-ish way, but in the good way. I looked him in the eye.  
"Levi, you want to, but you want to wait for the right time?"  
"Exactly, but I think 'want to' is an understatement"  
"Desire to"

Everyone started giggling. After it got more than dark, and the stars were out, I sneaked out of the group and slid into the bushes. I walked down to the river. There was a big rock that extended out onto the water, so I walked onto it. I leaned back and looked the stars.

"Ah, it's so beautiful I wanna cry…."  
"Need a shoulder?"  
I freaked out and turned around.  
"Jesus Cody, don't scare me like that. I swear if I wasn't hard to scare, I would've fallen in the river."  
"And I was hoping you would to… Well, I guess there's only one thing to do then."

Cody reached down and picked me up.

"N-n-nooo! Don't! What if it's extremely shallow?"  
"Shhh… You're going to alert the others. And trust me, I've been here before, it's deep."  
"No! I'm scared!"  
"I bet you are."

I had no idea that Cody was being serious. He threw me in the air and I gently landed in the river. The currents wasn't strong at all, it was slow and calm. Still very warm.

"You JERK! I thought you were kidding! Here, bring me back up!"

I gave him my hand to pull me up. I did that move that's always in those cheesy romance movies. I pulled him down with me. We both started laughing.  
"So Cody, I hear Lisa's gonna sneak into your tent. How far do you plan on going."  
"Shh, don't talk about that right now. Only pay attention to me."  
"If I do that, I'll get nervous and drown."  
"I'll save you."  
"Don't get serious, I was joking haha."

Cody swam a little closer to me. We could both stand up now. He moved all of my hair out of my face and rested his hand on my cheek.

"Kiss me."  
"…..Okay…"

I leaned in and pushed my lips against his. I knew what I was doing was bad, but in my head, I was convinced that my last chance to do this was right now.

He then lifted me up and set me on the rock. He pushed himself up and sat next to me. We continued to kiss. Even though we were both soaking wet and cold, his lips and hands were warmer than ever. Our kisses were growing more passionate, our hands were moving more freely, and our bodies were reacting to each other. I pushed him away for a second.

"Mmm… Cody."  
"What?"  
"I Lo-"  
"So this is where you guys were hiding! Omg, you're all soaked! Why didn't you tell us you were going for a swim, HEY EVEYRONE! COME SWIM WITH US!"

We then heard more footsteps coming our way, so Cody and I separated. I felt like there was a gap between us, and it was only getting bigger. One after another, people started jumping into the water. I saw Cody and Lisa grabbing onto each other for support and felt sick. I got up and left. When I got to my tent, I fell to my knees.

Even though I was dripping wet, I could distinguish my tears that were filled with regret and sorrow. I started balling right away. I felt like such a nuisance. I got dry and changed into something comfortable using my bathing suit as underwear, I hung my other clothes above this propane heater I had in my tent.

I made my bed, and then curled up in it. I started crying again. I felt so ashamed. I felt like I shouldn't be there, like I was making everything worse. I saw a shadow walking up to my tent.

"Max, are you okay in there? Are you on your period? I brought stuff since I'm on mine, and I kinda thought since you always used to have yours around the same time as me."

"I'm fine Jewel, you can go have fun."

She unzipped the front and walked in. She was dry.

"You didn't *hic* swim with the *hic* others?"  
"No, I was worried about you when I saw you leave the campfire, then I got suspicious when I saw Cody watch you leave, and then followed you."  
"He was *hic* looking at *hic* me?"  
"The whole time, did something happen between you two?"

Jewel got in the blankets with me, and I clung on to her.

"*hic* I was kissing him… I knew about Lisa and what I was doing, and I *hic* kept doing it… I'm *hic* the *hic* worst… I was about to tell him I *hic* loved him…*hic*… I couldn't *hic*"  
"its okay, Lisa will pass… You deserve so much to be happy Mackenzie….You deserve so much more than this."  
I started crying more and hugged Jewel even tighter. "I must've *hic* done something wrong… *hic*… I'm sorry…"  
"You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm sorry for not being there for you… You did nothing wrong. You met him before her"  
"But he *hic* doesn't know how he *hic* feels about her *hic* yet…. He told me he *hic* can't leave her… *hic*"  
"Mackenzie, please don't worry. I'm here for you. I'll make h=you happy, we'll have a good time camping, just… Don't worry"

The rest of that night was a blur, but I remember the warmth of Jewel's arms. I fell asleep hugging her. I woke up to all of them fighting.

I poked out of the tent to hear a little better.  
"I saw you go into his tent last night, you bitch! He's MY boyfriend!"  
"You're a liar! I didn't do anything! If you want to be angry at Max! She was the one makin' out with him last."

I gasped. "WHAT? That couldn't have happened! I trust her! She PROMISED ME she wouldn't do anything!"  
"Yea, that's a REAL good friend you got there! Even ask your player of a boyfriend."  
"Is that true Cody?... Please don't tell me that's true."  
"…Y-"  
"DON'T BLAME HIM! BLAME ME! I'm the one who made a move on him first."

Lisa walked over to me and slapped me.  
"I deserve that."  
"NO, you don't! You don't deserve ANYTHING! You are just TOO low! I thought you were my friend, you lying BITCH!"

Those words pierced me like a dagger to the heart.  
"Knock it the hell off, drama queen! She was here first, she fell in love with Cody for Christ's sake, and he loved. Her. BACK. It's YOU who screwed up everything."  
"HOW could you say that to me? He also has feelings for me! Maybe that backstabber was just a damn stepping stone for him."  
"Is that true Cody, Is Max just a stepping stone for you?"  
"I don't know."

I stopped in my tracks. I turned around and ran for my tent. I grabbed a sharp stick and ripped the air mattress open. I shoved everything in my bag.  
"KENZIE!"

I turned around and saw Cody. "You're making the wrong decision. Go console your girlfriend, and please… Don't ever talk to me again!"  
I kicked my tent down and folded it up. I ran out to the middle of the camp.  
"Whose bike is this?"

"GOD DAMMIT who's bike is this?"  
Hunter raised his hand.  
"I'll give it to you when you get back, thanks."  
I brought it to the road. I heard someone run up behind me  
"Look, you're being too drama-"  
"Don't even try. I'm at my limit. It's too much. It's way too much. It's better if I just leave, forever. Nothing ever goes right for me anyway"

I hung my tent and bag on both handlebars. I started down the road, crying. Up until that day, I've never had any thought of suicide. I knew that it create so much stress to my mom that she would probably die. I didn't want to live through the day that she died anyway. I thought about Mizu, I thought about Jewel, Gabrielle, Kevin, Dana, and Dustin.

I gripped the handle bars even more thinking about Dustin. I loved him, I needed him, and I wanted to say goodbye so badly, but I couldn't. I couldn't bring myself to say "Hi, I'm going to go kill myself now, have a nice life"

I knew exactly where I wanted to kill myself too. I stopped at a nearby store. They let me use their phone, and I called Cody's house. His mom picked up.

"Hi, this is Kenzie; I'm at that store you pass to get to the campsite. Can you come pick me up? Sorry to be a burden."  
"Sure, honey, what's the problem?"  
"Ahh… I'm on my period and am having excruciating cramps. I want to go home."  
"Okay, I'm on my way then…"

She took a while to get me, but that didn't even compare to the drive home. I told her to stop at her house, and I would just walk. I ran to my little house. I crawled to the corner. I held the army knife I kept in one of the drawers up to my wrists. My hands started trembling. I dropped the knife and went in fetal position. I was shaking. I wasn't cold, but I felt no warmth.

I was almost expecting a light to shine down on me and save me, as if a message from my father. Nothing happened. I looked up. I was confused, I was hurt, and I wanted to end it all. I cried so much it wore me out. I tilted my head down, and I slowly fell asleep.

Cody's P.O.V.

"I saw you go into his tent last night, you bitch! He's MY boyfriend!"  
"You're a liar! I didn't do anything! If you want to be angry at Max! She was the one makin' out with him last."

I suddenly remembered last night. _How the hell did she know? Shit._

"WHAT? That couldn't have happened! I trust her! She PROMISED ME she wouldn't do anything!"  
"Yea, that's a REAL good friend you got there! Even ask your player of a boyfriend."  
"Is that true Cody?... Please don't tell me that it's true."

I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but I didn't want to lie to her. I also didn't want anyone to be mad at Kenzie.

"…Y-"  
"DON'T BLAME HIM! BLAME ME! I'm the one who made a move on him first."

I turned around and saw Kenzie was standing in the bushes. Her eyes were swollen. I could tell she was crying all night. _Maybe that's why Jewel was treating me bad this morning_

Lisa walked slowly over to Kenzie and slapped. Right then I lost a lot of respect for Lisa. I wanted to defend Kenzie but I was Lisa's boyfriend.

"I deserve that."  
"NO, you don't! You don't deserve ANYTHING! You are just TOO low! I thought you were my friend, you lying BITCH!"

There it was. All of my respect for her. Gone. She was looking too much into it.

"Knock it the hell off, drama queen! She was here first, she fell in love with Cody for Christ's sake, and he loved. Her. BACK. It's YOU who screwed up everything."  
"HOW could you say that to me? He also has feelings for me! Maybe that backstabber was just a damn stepping stone for him."  
"Is that true Cody, Is Max just a stepping stone for you?"

I felt like such an outsider. I knew I loved Kenzie, but I didn't know how I felt about Lisa. I knew I didn't respect her anymore, but I went out with her trying to forget about Kenzie, but that wasn't what it was anymore. I felt chemistry between us. I knew a Lisa they didn't. I finally spoke up.

"I don't know."

I regretted what I said the moment I said it. I looked over at Kenzie. Her face was expressionless, but there was show much pain in her eyes. She ran off to her tent. I ran after her and saw her putting everything back, and tearing her tent down.

"KENZIE!"

She turned to look at me. She looked as if she was about to cry, but couldn't. I wanted to go over and hug her. Better yet, I wanted her to hug me.

"You're making the wrong decision. Go console your girlfriend, and please… Don't ever talk to me again!"

I felt a sharp pain in my chest. Although I deserved what she said to me. I watched her run to Hunters bike. She ran up to the road. I couldn't leave it like that. I ran after her again. I didn't want to be mean, but I wanted to get her attention.

"Look, you're being too drama-"  
"Don't even try. I'm at my limit. It's too much. It's way too much. It's better if I just leave, forever. Nothing ever goes right for me anyway"

What she said went over in my head again and again, '… if I just leave, forever…" Suddenly I envisioned her killing herself. I yelled after her,  
"You can't just give up!"  
She didn't stop. She didn't even budge.  
"CODY! GET BACK HERE AND EXPLAIN THIS TO ME!"

I looked back at camp. Everyone was staring at me like I was a fool. I started walking back. I stopped in front of Lisa.

"You disgust me. And yes, we 'made out,' and I sure as hell was not having you in the back of my mind, I wasn't thinking of anything bad, because I… was happy. You can't just go off and say that kind of stuff to her. She takes everything too seriously, and she is way over emotionally unstable, and right now, I bet you she's going to go kill herself because of something you made me say."

"….Ah….Cody… But-"

"Stop. Just stop it. You got all the attention you could've got from everyone here, so go be happy. Go cry, have everyone agree with you, make everyone hate me. It will NEVER match up, to her importance. If she commits suicide, I will NEVER forgive you."

I looked at Levi. "My phone is in the tent. Call my mom and tell her to come get us. Tell her everyone feels sick because of the food we ate, she'll believe you."

I stomped off and went down to the river. I sat down on the edge of the rock. I heard gently footsteps. It was Jewel. She came closer and kneeled down next to me.

"Do you really think she'll commit suicide?"  
"Jewel, I swear, if she does, I will not find it in my to be surprised."  
"We have to stop her. At least try. I can't let her life end like this. I mean, she-"  
"It's indescribable. How much better of a life she deserves."  
"But even you have family problems. I mean, there are others with lives worse than hers."  
"I just want her to be safe."  
I hid my face from Jewel.  
"Cody, it's okay, you can cry. I won't judge you. I'm going to go start packing everything up."

She patted my back and left. I felt my face being drenched with strokes of tears. I wanted to make everything better. She finally returned home and this is what I do to her. I cried until Jewel came back and told me my mom was there.

Jewel asked if she could be dropped off at my house and my mom let her. Lisa went back home and so did the others. The day was getting late. As soon as we got to my house we tried to leave, but my mom had us take everything back to my room.

When we were done it was getting dark. We ran as fast as we could through the bushes. A few branches smack me in the face and left bloody scratches. We walked up to Kenzie's little house exhausted. We saw her camping equipment lying in front of the door. I ran up to the door and swung it open, almost ripping it from its hinges. I looked and saw Kenzie lying on the floor.

I ran to her side. I saw the knife then looked at both of her wrists. There was no blood. I looked at Kenzie and started shaking her.

"Wake up! KENZIE!"  
Jewel ran into the house, fell to the floor. She started crying right away. "There's no blood, but she won't wake up!"  
"Mackenzie! Please, wake up!...Please *hic*…. Wake up"

I started crying. "NO!" I laid my head on her stomach. After a while I calmed down. I felt my head go up, then slowly back down.

"W-Wait! Jewel, she's just asleep!"  
"What?"  
Jewel walked over and put her hand in front of her nose. "Then why won't she wake up?"  
I picked Kenzie up. "Let's bring her to her house. Her mom is friends with a doctor."  
"Good idea."

With Kenzie in my arms, I ran as fast as I gently could. We rushed to their door and swung it open. Her mom was in the living room talking with that doctor guy. She gave us a look of shock.

"What happened? Why are you breathing so heavily?"  
"It's Max, she won't wake up!"  
Nancy looked at the doctor and he looked at us. "Bring her over here."  
"This happened a month after her father died, she was sick of life and wanted to end it."  
"At such an age?"

"Sadly, yes. But anyway, she just fell asleep and wouldn't wake up. We thought she was in a coma, but the doctor treating her said it wasn't that. Because of stress, she fell asleep, and was stuck where ever she was, because she was afraid to return to reality."

"Well, when did she wake up?"

"At that time, She woke up just a few days later, but now, I can't say. Children get over certain stuff really easily, teenagers, who are prone to depression and all those feelings don't take most things so lightly. I'd give her a week."

Me and Jewel left. Halfway to my house, she hugged me.  
"What's this about?"  
"Thank you. Without you, I probably wouldn't have had the courage to see if she was really dead or not. I'm so glad she's okay."  
"She's not okay yet."  
"Cody…. What are you going to do about Lisa?"  
"I really can't say. I said some pretty harsh things, I don't think she'll forgive me."  
"You want her forgiveness?"  
"I don't know if I love her or not."

Jewel ended going home late, even though I offered for her to stay over. She said she wanted to be alone, and think about things. I slowly walked up my stairs and into my room. I stared unpacking my bag. The first shirt I lifted up was the one I was wearing when we went swimming. Kenzie's scent was lingering on it. I held it close. Her gone, I couldn't bear, not even the thought. I would just die every day. Over and over.

I didn't want this thought in my head. Every time I thought of Kenzie, I would think of Lisa. I didn't want to date Kenzie, because I felt as if I would be doing it out of pity, and when I'm with Lisa, I could be myself… I couldn't believe I picked Lisa over Kenzie, but I knew I would always remember her as my first love, my beautiful rescue.

The next morning I made up with Lisa, and we went on a day-long date. After she went home, I walked to Kenzie's house. I walked up to her room, where she was sleeping. She already had a few notes at her bedside. I put an envelope on top of the little notes. I leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

When I stopped up straight, I saw her smile, and was shocked. A tear strolled down her face.

"She does that. It's her way of responding to you. You don't want to stay with her, do you?"  
"Sorry…"  
"It's fine, I've met that Lisa girl before, me and her parents go way back. She's a sweet girl Cody, treat her right, okay?"  
"Yea."

I left the house, and looked back at Kenzie's bedroom window. That was the last time I shed a tear for that crazy, unpredictable, smart, beautifully amazing girl.

Kenzie's POV.

It's been a long time since that mom and I moved back to that town, which name will never be known, due to my mother's health going back down. She was okay to stay home, but she decided to stay with Josh and Hidey. I was homeschooled for the rest of my educational needs. After I graduated, I inherited our old house, and started working as an at-home-publisher, following in my mom's footsteps.

Sometime before Mizu died, I bought a cute Siamese boy that was around her age. They had kittens. I gave most of them to my friends. I kept one boy. I named him Joey, after my father.

Today, it was my twenty first birthday. I know, a lot of time has passed by. I was driving home from a book convention that I had to go to. As I pulled up to my driveway, I was feeling suspicious because of how quiet it was.

I slowly walked up to my door, and as I opened it, I smirked.  
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

There was a countless amount of people in my house. Jewel walked up to me and hugged me.

"Did you plan this?"  
"Without your permission, of course!"  
"Thank you. This is more than I deserve."  
"Way more!"  
"Haha."

I blew out the candles on my cake. A lot of people just brought me beer, but Jewel was more creative. She gave me a map.  
"Jewel, what the hell is this?"  
"Come on! Be adventurous!"

I rolled my eyes and laughed at her. I looked at the poorly drawn map. I followed the little footsteps and ended up in the place. There wasn't a house there anymore. The wood was getting too rotten and I didn't have the time to fix it. I looked up from the map and could not for the life of me believe what I saw. It was a beautiful white-framed glass greenhouse in the shape of a circle.

"Go ahead, go inside."

I opened the door and saw the fountain in the middle, working perfectly. The smell of lilacs, tulips, and roses filled the air. I looked around more. At the end, there was a small table. On one side, there was a pink chair, and sitting in the blue chair, was Dustin.

I looked back to see Jewel, but she had already left along with the others. I looked back at Dustin.  
"I um…. This is totally unexpected… I haven't seen you in ages!"  
"Why don't you sit down?"  
"OKAY!"

I skipped my way to the pink chair. "W…Why are you here?"  
"I have a request to ask of you."  
"And that is?"  
"Mackenzie Jean Cleary, Will you…. Go out with me?"

I started giggling, and blushing. I looked him in the eye. "Y'know, I forgot to tell you something before I left that school."  
"What?"  
"I think I might have fallen for you."  
"I love you too, Kenzie"

We kissed each other, and walked out of the green house, holding hands.  
"And now, we will live happily ever after"  
"You're so cliché!"

The End.


End file.
